


A Changed Legacy

by Nobodythehope



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Catwoman (Comics)
Genre: Abuse of the Mentally Ill at Arkham, Batcat gets married, Batman cares too much, Batman does not realize he is a inspiration to others, Bruce And Selina are good parents, Catwoman Cares too much, F/F, F/M, Gets fluffy later, Humor added for my sanity, Rouges Trust Batman, Strongly implied Rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27961658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nobodythehope/pseuds/Nobodythehope
Summary: This story is inspired by LokkisonD’s story: How Bruce Wayne Accidentally Stops Crime. However, my version has batman raid Arkham when he discovered the cameras have been on a loop since joker was last admitted. batman discovers the treatment of the inmates of Arkham first hand so the first two chapters are going to be very dark, but it will get happier and fluffier if you manage to stick with it. However, mine sticks to Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle and my preferred ships.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Harvey Dent & Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent & Renee Montoya, Kate Kane/Renee Montoya, Lucius Fox/Tanya Fox, More - Relationship, Poison Ivy/Harley Quin, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, beginning of Tim Drake/Stephine Brown
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	1. The Long Night

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [How Bruce Wayne Accidentally Stops Crime](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27393637) by [LokkisonD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokkisonD/pseuds/LokkisonD). 



> Warning: this chapter is very disturbing in some parts. Reader's discretion is advised.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did some editing on the chapter.

Warning: this chapter is very disturbing in some parts. Reader's discretion is advised.

Batcave… 2 am

Batman was driving in the batmobile he has been awake for 36 hours tracking down a kidnapped child from a Park Row family, Batman had personally taken over the East End after Selina Kyle left Gotham two years ago. Oh, how he missed her so, as her leaving felt like a piece of his soul left with her. Batman should call her; however, he felt that he was unworthy of her, and by now Selina has likely found someone far better than him, at least that is what he told himself. Yet in his most private moments did he wish she was back in his arms. Batman has told the woman he loved her, he shared his civilian identity of Bruce Wayne with her, yet he never told Selina that when he held her, she was really holding him.

Parking the batmobile in the cave Batman tiredly climbed out of the massive vehicle. Batman also know as Bruce Wayne is a massive man standing six foot two inches tall with a broad strong frame, his large toned muscles put bodybuilders to shame, he looked like he could destroy you with ease. He is dressed up like a large bat in a charcoal black and black outfit with a stylized black bat covering his massive chest. Batman removed his gauntlets, cape, and cowl, becoming Bruce Wayne. Bruce sets the equipment down next to his throne in front of the Batcomputer. Alfred had left him an electric pot of chamomile tea that kept the tea warm, as he had been doing for the last three years since Selina went to Blackgate for crimes she did not commit to saving a friend of hers. The tea did not help him get to sleep, as sleep has become harder to get Selina’s incarceration and then their breakup, as little has helped him sleep since then, however, the tea did help calm him down. Sleep hypnotics did not at healthy douses as his body processed them too fast and they left him more groggy after they were off.

A small twitchy thing happens at the corners of his mouth as he sees his favorite mug next to the pot, it was one of Selina’s hang-in kitten mugs, that Alfred had neglected to send to her after her move. Alfred did not set this cup out often saving it for times when he was facing things that affected him more than others, the hard cases like ones dealing with young children, The Joker escaping, or a world-ending crisis. Set next to the mug and pot are a small black thermos and a small crystal decanter. Bruce opens the thermos and by eye pours his preferred measure of 2% milk from the thermos into the cup then, poured the hot, strong chamomile tea into the cup, then added a small amount of lime juice to the tea.

Well, Bruce is very tired, tired enough to perhaps get a few hours of sleep, however, it had been too long since he last checked the Arkham feeds, so he would check it well he enjoyed his tea then would write a report about the case and get some rest. Bruce pulled up the feed and he finally noticed a major problem; The Joker has been doing the same pattern of movements for the last seven times he watched the feed. If he did not have an eidetic memory he would have never noticed.

His tea forgotten Bruce goes over the footage at high speed, which he is still able to process a lot of detail form, he quickly realized that this loop has been going on for at least three months, likely longer as the Joker had been at Arkham for a year. He switched to the small ridiculously expensive camera that he had personally installed on the roof of The Jokers cell as it was being constructed. This camera had the capability to scan the DNA of the occupant to confirm their identity. The camera is something only Bruce knew about and he put it somewhere The Joker would look first thus ignore as in the jokers mind his foe would never be so obvious. When Bruce saw the image on the screen he shot up from his throne his tea and fatigue long forgotten.

Bruce pulled back on his cowl, and cape as he made his way to the armory. Batman pulled on a small pair of disposable gloves and refilled his gauntlets stores of the small Batarang type 2, removed the gloves, and put on his gauntlets. Next, he swapped out his type two utility belt for the bulkier type three model in black and added a few extra gadgets to the pouches he normally kept empty. Next then grabbed two black Type 3 utility bandoliers loaded with more tools he may require. Well, batman had a reputation for pulling some gadget out of his utility belt that lets him save the day, he hated relying on his gadgets and always limited what he carried and what he had stored in the batmobile.

However, today was an exception as Arkham has been compromised and he would need every one of his tools tonight he even had a piece of kryptonite on him. Finished gearing up Batman ran to a hidden sub cave, where he kept the Batwing Model 666-P stored, he hoped the inmates have taken over Arkham again. The model 666-P Batwing is not armed for battle Batman built this model for speed and to test some stealth tech he came up with. As the jet took off, we can see the screen of the Batcomputer, on it is the Joker’s cell and in the sell is the badly decade body of Joker, DNA confirmed it was the monster. The rate of decomposition of the monster's body showed that he had been dead for around one year.

Batman had programed Arkham systems to never stop recording and had systems in place that would cause them to record even if turned off and then save the data. He has systems in place that backed them up and systems that backed them up to the point beyond any of his Anti-Justice league strategies, so he would have all the evidence he needed to prove what went down but right now ether the inmates or the staff was in needed Batman’s help and he did not know which side. As batman has not known what has been going on at Arkham for the last year. However, Batman has that cold feeling in his gut, the only one he could trust on the asylum’s staff is the new staff and she was starting tonight the new member is a pharmacist.

“Computer call Lucius override his phone to make sure it rings, code 1048,” Batman says to the computer uplink the Batwing has to the Batcomputer.

“Bruce you…” An irate Lucius fox says as his boss just woke up both himself and his wife.

“Plan 666 B needs to be implemented as staff the has likely been corrupted,” Batman says before cutting off the connection as he cleared the exit of the cave.

Batman kept the message short because he needed to crawl inside the cowl, he needed to detach himself and allow himself to think objectively. The Batwing he was in was the Model 666-P is a single-seater. He is the only one who ever piloted it and the only one who can pilot it. Bruce built this entire Batwing in the cave himself, and he did not even trust the systems and its designs to paper, even taking precautions to instill powerful mental shielding to prevent a telepath like Grodd from taking the designs directly from his mind.

He had a good reason for the precautions good reason as with its systems active scanning system in the world even a Green lantern ring could detect this plane. The plan did not use fuel at al instead using electromagnetic thrusters to fly and was powered by a true kryptonite plasma reactor. Should anyone other than himself get in the pilot seat it would eject and enter failsafe protocol atmospheric exit and self-destruction, the reactor overloaded creating a 1 megaton kryptonite fusion explosion. This was one of the technological marvels he built that he would never trust another soul with it was too dangerous. Batman popped and pressed several buttons activating the is models the optical camouflage, heat concealing, anti-vibration, and sound nullification systems. Nothing on Earth could detect him now, even the man who wears hope on his chest could not see him.

The Home of the Fox family…

“Lucius what’s wrong, you look like a white man?” A lovely older African American woman asks.

The woman is was five foot five inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair that starting to gray and She had a modest figure that showed she kept in shape. This is Tanya Fox, corporate lawyer, socialite, and Lucius's wife of 30 years.

Lucius Fox is a tall African American man who looked and sounded exactly like Morgan freeman.

“Arkham has been compromised, the Joker is dead likely the staff has fallen to the dark side or has otherwise been corrupted as he used code B. Bruce wants me to force threw his legal claim on Arkham. He is after all one of the last members of the Arkham family and one of the few who are not legally insane. His grandmother Elizabeth Kane was born Elizabeth Arkham. So, his cousins and relatives on his mother’s side are all legally Arkham’s.” Lucius tells his wife.

“I’ll make some of Bruce’s personal blend of coffee. Alfred likely just went to sleep so we will give him a few hours before we wake him up. You Start making the calls and waking up those ridiculously expensive attorneys we keep on retainer. This is too important to use Wolfman, we need an honest, clean judge for this, so we have no choice but to wait till morning. God help Bruce he is going to be blaming himself for whatever has happened.” Tanya says as she grabs her mint green robe and ties it on, Lucius does the same with his burgundy robe and the two make their way to the kitchen.

“What would I do without you?” Lucius asks his wife as some of the colors return to his skin.

“You would be in Arkham as all of Bruce’s strange requests would have driven you mad by now. Poor boy has been sadder every year since Selina’s false confession three years ago. I do not know what happened when he went to pick her up or why he took her to the airport as He had the ring on him, He planned to ask her to marry him.” Tanya says with a sad look at her husband.

“Alfred and I have been trying to push him to call her, but he is his mother’s son and you know how stubborn Martha was. He blames himself for her friend's fall, for what happened to the Thomas and Martha Wayne Home for the Boys and Girls of Gotham. He knew something was going down there soon, however, he thought he had the time and there was a young woman he had hoped he could guide out of the darkness he stares into and back into the light. He hoped he could show her a different way and it cost him time. He blames himself for too much, things he would not have been able to prevent even if he had Superman’s powers. Selina for all her faults, her stealing, and emotional baggage was as good for him as he was for her, she too knows the darkness he stares into, the abyss that he has been staring down unblinking and unflinchingly for 30 years because she has been staring into that same abyss unblinking for just as long. For the last thirteen years, it was each other’s presence that prevented them from blinking. from their first meeting on the streets of the East End, they have been holding each other the light. Now though without her presence in his life, the man is struggling with that abyss as he has never before. Tanya, he told me last time I brought up him calling Selina that he was unworthy of her, that he does not deserve happiness, but she does. He told me he hopes she found someone better than him, someone, more deserving of her love, someone who could make her truly happy.” Lucius says with a frown as few tears fall from his eyes.

Lucius had watched Bruce Wayne grow up; he had started at Wayne Enterprises when the boy was just a few months old 38 years ago. The boy had introduced him to his wife when he was seven. In those thirty-eight years, Lucius watched the boy grow into the single kindest man Lucius has ever had the pleasure of knowing, a man he privately counted that as one of his own children. To him and his wife, they did not have two sons and two daughters they had three sons and two daughters.

Yes, Bruce has anger issues, he brooded too much, used fear tactics, and he could cause great pain to someone if he needs to for information, but his kindness always shined through as he has given many cons he interrogated as Batman a second chance if he found them deserving. Bruce Wayne was the only true altruist Lucius has ever known and he had known the boy’s parents. In the last thirteen years, he has watched this Bruce put his life on the line so many times, seen him accept the hatred of so many yet never letting it taint him, watched as he was hurt yet never letting his spirit break, even when his body did.

He had seen this remarkable man, a mere mortal dressed like a bat who wears just enough body armor to protect his vital organs from a gunshot and cheap knives. Bruce should have been dead within his first year as Batman yet for thirteen years Bruce has saved Gotham, he has saved the Earth more times than men of steel, men of power, and demi-god women have. Lucius has watched as Batman pulled victims from the rubble of some attack despite having large shrapnel sticking out of him, refusing to stop to receive medical treatment for himself until all who were trapped were safe. Watched him willingly take a knife or a beating to stall for the police or his team to arrive to allow the safe capture of a Monster in the guise of a man. Bruce has returned to the battle of good and evil after having his back broken, he has fought through fear-inducing toxins, and even save the universe itself a few times.

Yet Lucius has also watched the man with two broken ribs escort an old woman with dementia back to her nursing home, beat the best male professional heavyweight fighter in the world in a public cage match, a match he accepted after learning the man beat his ex-girlfriend into a coma and got away with it. However, Lucius knew that the saddest yet most amazing thing about Bruce Wayne was the man feels that he does not do enough, he never expected, or wanted, a simple thank you, yet and well few could tell the man always got a bit flustered when he did get a simple thank you yet never forgot to say your welcome.

“I am going to sit that boy down and make him call her, he has done so much not just for Gotham but the world well asking for nothing in return. If anyone deserves happiness, it's Bruce Wayne.” Tanya says her face that of a concerned mother.

“Tanya if anyone can make that man listen to reasons it’s you. I just hope that It will be peaceful for a while after whatever happens at Arkham is done. Because I fear the Bruce is close to his breaking point.” Lucius tells his wife.

Arkham asylum (warning dark) …

Batman made his approach and after being dropped from the batwing he silently landed on the roof; he programed the Batwing to return to its hidden cave once the piolet ejected due to the risks. Batman quickly Pick the lock on the rooftop access door and slipped quietly inside the building as he turned on his cowls video recording mode. He quickly made his way down the stairs carefully avoiding being noticed well ensuring that the personnel is all ok.

Currently, Batman is glad to see that the staff are all ok. However, that cold feeling made him check the second floor which housed the medical aid wing meant for treating patients’ injuries and performing surgeries, it is a wing that should be empty at this time of night. So, the fact that he could see a light on under the door of one of the exam rooms compelled Batman to investigate. He silently approached and cracked the door open and what he sees confirmed his worst fears and shattered his hopes.

‘ _This is **MY** fault I should have noticed before the staff got this out of hand.’ _ Batman thinks as he slips inside the door.

In the room is Harley Quinn being strangled by a large guard, her orange jumpsuit off along with her underwear. Batman grabbed the man around his neck and use a dangerous Dim Mak technique. Batman squeezed his large hand on the top of the guard’s neck to cut off the flow of blood to a person’s brain and if held too long this deceptively simple-looking hold would cause brain death, Batman held it for five seconds, the guard will not wake up until after the GCPD got here. He would also need to call in the league to aid him as Arkham’s guard staff had enough armaments to fight off the US army for a time.

Batman quickly began then began checking on Harley, the blond was not breathing, he quickly started administering CPR afraid he was too late to save the woman.

“Breath Harley, god damn it please breath,” Batman yells as works on her, his deep voice full of worry as he pleaded with the woman, this was all his fault.

Batman is about to grab the miniature defibrillator from his bandoleer when Harley snaps awake breathing deeply. Her unfocused eyes see him, and she speaks, her voice barely a whisper but at that moment to Batman, it was as if she were yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Ivy is in the basement you got to sav…” Harley says before passing out again.

Batman switches the HUD of his cowl to medical diagnostic vision mode and sees she has a steady heartbeat. This vision mode also used an algorithm that acted as parental controls for the various vision modes the Batfamily lenses used meant to preserve the modesty of a victim they had to assess. Well batman knew Harley did not know the meaning of the word modesty, he never allowed his eyes to wander, the only thing recorded is the fact that her underwear is ruined, and her jumpsuit was off her Batman then gently pulled her jumpsuit back on her and he could see the bruises forming under her skin. He could tell that Harley had not only almost died from strangulation, but she had also been beaten ad violated.

Batman gently picked the small woman up. He knew that aside from Pamala there was at least one person in Arkham who cared about Harley… and Ivy as well as the two women who have always been kind to him. Batman knew that as long as he was still breathing Regardless of whatever condition he was in, Waylon Jones would keep Harley and Pamala safe. Most of his rouge’s gallery actually despised rapists and child abusers with a passion unseen by most, which is why there were no serial rapists or child abusers at Arkham, they were all shipped out of Gotham as even the inmates of Blackgate would not stand for the class of criminal. Batman shut the door behind him and carefully made his way to the basement.

Just outside Villa Hermosa California (warning dark)

Selina Kyle is better known as Catwoman is a beautiful woman standing five foot seven, her black hair falling to her ears in a stylish messy look, she has the kind of body men drool over large breasts, long legs, and a delectable butt. Her most striking feature however would be her vibrant green eyes. She has been living in California for two years now after she was proven innocent of the crimes committed by her friend Holly Robertson committed by Batman. Selina had taken the blame for Holly’s two hundred and thirty-seven murder victims as Holly would have never been able to pull them off without Selina’s training, if she had not trained her the terrorists would still be alive. She had spent ten months quietly in Blackgate waiting for execution when Batman got her released and proven innocent because Holly had been sloppy leaving behind too much evidence.

Her Ager at Holly, herself, and a bit at Bruce for once again running one of her plans (even though she was thankful for it this time) caused her to blow up at Bruce when he personally came to pick her up from Blackgate. She said so many hurtful, cruel, and untrue things to Bruce, and when she was done, she did not allow him to say anything she just told him to drive her to the airport. To someone who did not know him as well as she did, his face was the impassive mask it always was, but to her, the look on his face said it all she… broke his heart, and that knowledge hurt her worse than anything she has ever had done to her, yet she refused to apologize at the time.

His last word to her, after getting his private jet fueled and giving her two thousand dollars for any immediate expenses was that he hoped she would find someone that would make her truly happy and was better than himself. That, that was when her heart shattered. Yet in her stubborn anger, she refused to tell him she did not mean anything she said and wanted to stay with him, so just she got on the plane, leaving a piece of her soul behind with the only man she had ever truly loved. She has not gotten much sleep in the three years that Bruce has been absent from her bed and refused to share a bed with anyone else.

Selina was stubborn and figured Bruce would call her after she had time to calm down, here she was two years later, still waiting for him to call her. So, she has yet to tell him about their daughter who was the reason she did not get violent in Blackgate. Part of Selina’s guilty plea involved keeping the fact that she was pregnant out of any official report and arranged it so that the girl who she named Helena would be adopted by a family living outside of Gotham. Instead of looking for her when she got out Selina used normal logic instead of Feline Logic for a change and felt that it would be safer for the daughter of Batman and Catwoman to not be raised by them and her visiting a baby would put her baby in danger.

For the last month whenever Selina managed to get a bit of sleep that sleep was plagued by nightmares about her and Bruce’s daughter. Unable to take it she hacked into the right databases and found out that Helena was adopted by a couple near her place of residence. So, dressed in her new catsuit, a purple two-piece suit with a utility belt, matching domino mask, and cat ears she rode her motorcycle to the house her baby lived in. What Catwoman found made her both angry and sick because it was all **Her** fault.

There she was Selina’s precious baby with the man she loved, who was all of two years old, is and is covered in bruises. Catwoman had a lot of enemies who may have found out and she would not put it past them to put makeup on the girl to try to make Catwoman do something stupid, so she had to check.

So, Catwoman tried the window and felt that cold sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at what she found, the window was unlocked. Sill in denial she entered the home and using a makeup remover wet nap Selina tried to wipe off what she told herself was makeup only to find out the marks were not the makeup. Their baby girl, she also looked too small, Selina took pictures and quickly made her way out.

Despite every fiber of her being telling her to steal Helena who was her only child, who she had with the only man she had ever truly loved, Helena a precious irreplaceable treasure. Her instincts were telling her to take their baby and get her away… Catwoman knew had to leave her in this place. This had to be done inside the law not out of it if Helena were to have anything like a normal life. A normal life for her baby was the only thing that prevented her from retrieving her daughter the moment she was out of jail, a normal life for her daughter was the only thing that prevented Catwoman from going into the rooms of the adoptive parents and slitting their throats with her claws.

Catwoman slipped out the window, unlike Holly, Selina was never sloppy, the only evidence she was there was the thin blanket Helena had thrown off herself having bee being pulled back over her and lightly tucked in, and the beautiful smile that bloomed the sleeping babies face. God, Selina should have known better than to trust the foster system after her own experiences in it. Arriving where she left her motorcycle Selina pulled off her domino and vomited into the grass, finished she put her mask back on, and well Silently crying Catwoman grabs her cellphone to call her sister.

Maggie was doing so much better than when Selina went into Blackgate and it was all thanks to Bruce. He had checked in on Maggie and noticed she was being abused and not only did he have her moved to a much better facility he filed a lawsuit on Maggie’s behalf well also gathering evidence involving abuse of many of the patients in the long-term care facility. Bruce got the place shut down, personally paid for the residents to be moved and cared for at better facilities shut down, and getting Maggie enough money to be well cared for for the rest of her life, yet still, the man personally paid for her treatment all well Selina was in Blackgate, keeping their baby from him and then sending that baby away to be abused instead of to her father who would have loved the girl unconditionally instead she received abuse and mistreatment.

Despite every nasty hurtful thing Selina said to Bruce, breaking his heart and her own the man still paid for Maggie’s treatment after their breakup. Bruce knew she had plenty of money, yet still, he used his private jet to fly her out, gave her two thousand dollars for any immediate expenses she may encounter, and continued to pay for her sister’s medical expenses. The Kyle sisters were now living in a condo in Villa Hermosa, that Bruce bought for them. And the selfish bitch she is she kept **their** baby from **him,** giving **their beautiful irreplaceable treasure to abusive parents**. Selina started crying harder as she called her sister.

It takes three rings for her sister to pick up the phone.

Villa Hermosa the Penthouse condo of Selina and Magdalene Kyle…

Magdalene Kyle had dozed off on the couch of her apartment well waiting for her sister to come home, three of the family's many cats laying on her keeping her pleasantly warm. Maggie A beautiful brunet woman just as beautiful as her sister but a bit shorter at five foot five, she also had the same emerald green eyes as her sister something the two got from their mother.

Thanks to the efforts and money of Selina’s ex-boyfriend Maggie Kyle former nun of the order The Immaculate Virgin has been out of a catatonic state for two years. Well, she still needed a cane to get around right now she has happily been out of a wheelchair for six months. Maggie was planning to start pestering Selina to call Bruce instead of hoping that the man would call her. Maggie has only met Bruce Wayne a handful of times, but she knew that Bruce was just as emotionally constipated as her sister, just in a different way. Selina hid her hurt behind her snarky comments, humor, and stealing yet she was afraid to get close to anyone and let them see the darkness the anger in her. Bruce used his hurt as armor to keep himself going, scared that if he allowed himself to be happy the universe would take it away or that he would not be able to control the darkness inside him and he would end up hurting someone he cares about.

In Bruce’s last few visits before he finally got her sister out of prison and Maggie had been half catatonic, yet Bruce had been visiting her in place of her sister and Maggie was able to see something she did not think the man would have, despite the tragedy he suffered as a child and horrors he saw almost every night Bruce Wayne had the warmest heart she has ever seen. And Selina even though she has her heart wrapped up tight in a shroud of selfishness her heart is just as warm as Bruces. That was truly god’s blessing to them, for their souls may be in unrecognizable pieces but those pieces fit each other perfectly with each other. Maggie was sure they were soulmates like she and Simon had been. Maggie would be getting those two back together if she had to drag them both cross country by the ear to meet In Minnesota, where she would lock their ass’s in a cabin as a blizzard hits force them to survive together.

As far as Maggie could tell Bruce Wayne was is the kindest man on the planet, and the man is deserving of sainthood, but in all her time both as a nun and schoolteacher she had never seen anyone other than her sister who was so emotionally constipated and stubborn in her life, nor anyone who had as much of a guilty conscience as the pair. Sure, Selina stole… a lot of things however all her life Selina Kyle has always shared her spoils with others as gifts or through charities, her favorites being women's shelters, animals, and orphans.

Maggie was one of the few ‘civilians’ who knew Bruce Wayne is Batman. However, she also knew that he was a nonpracticing Catholic and he blamed himself for far more than he should and that includes his and Selina's break up. Maggie well a former nun was also a hopeless gossip and there was not a rag she did not have a subscription to. She knew that Bruce Wayne has not been dating since that fight he had with Selina. the only woman to accompany him to a gala for the last three years was his adopted daughter Cassandra Wayne. She also knew Selina still loved Bruce, as Selina had turned down many quite handsome men, and many of them were her sister's type’. Maggie knew if Bruce showed up ten minutes from now on their balcony and asked Selina to marry him Selina would…well her sister would first punch Bruce in the face, then yell at him for not calling her for two years, punch him in the face again but harder this time, then say yes and take him to her bed.

Which would mean Maggie would grab Stephine and limp out of the building as fast as she could as her sister did not know how to keep it down. She had heard the woman masturbating enough times both as a child and over the last year and a half to know this was true. Because of this Maggie, knew Selina was always fantasizing about Bruce or Batman during her private sessions. She also knew her sister owned The Batman dildo and that despite it being in Maggie’s opinion a massive piece of ten inches silicon rubber, Selina always complained as she was using it, that it was too small …which has given Maggie some interesting dreams not involving her dead husband… and she was not unwilling to admit that she had a few involving her and her sister both dressed in her sister's stage wear with the Big Bad Bat. But those were just fantasies, neither the Big Bad Bat nor Bruce Wayne was her type…but she could stare at the man's scared abbs and pecks for days.

“Hello,” Maggie asks as she tiredly answers her phone, it was playing Bad Girls world by a Hailstorm which was Selina’s ringtone. Maggie’s body goes rigid as she sits up and two of the cat’s hiss and yowl their displeasure at their sudden flight.

“Maggie, I need you to pack me a bag… and book me red-eye to Gotham, Helena needs her mother…and father. I need… to get her back…I have to do it…legally and despite…the wealth I have gained… threw things you disapprove of, with my history It will… take too long for me to get custody, but Bruce…Bruce can get her much faster.” Selina says into the phone as she cried for her baby, Maggie knew her sister was blaming herself.

“You are not going to Gotham alone Selina, well Helena needs her parents, you need your sister, so your sister and your sister’s daughter both of whom miss Gotham will be joining you. I’ll wake Stephane and get our bags packed and I do not care if I have to charter a private jet, we will get to Gotham by tomorrow morning.” Maggie tells her sister, anger in her voice at what has likely been going on with her niece.

“God fucking damn it Mags… I gave Helena up so she would…so she would be safe…and I put her in the hands of monsters.” Selina tells her sister. Magdalene had powered up Selina’s laptop which was far faster than her own.

“Selina we will have her safe and with her real family as soon as possible. There’s red-eye to Gotham in three hours, we have three first-class tickets. I will pack some bags for us both. I am going to hang up now.” Maggie says.

Maggie then grabs her sleek polished ebony cane, the handle was engraved with a yawning cat, and started to make her way first to her room as she called ‘Aunt Linda’ and after explaining the situation she asked the old Latina woman to feed there cats well the Kyles were away. The kind old woman said she or Carlos would be happy to feed them and that she would pray for the angles to protect Helena and beseech devils to put a curse on the ones responsible for hurting Selina’s child…Maggie knew the tough old Latina woman was not joking ether and she would do it. Her bag was quickly packed so Maggie then went to Stephanie’s room to wake the girl up.

A year and a half ago just after Maggie had gotten out of treatment and moved in with Selina, who had been protecting Villa Hermosa with as she put it ‘Grayscale Vigilantism’, meaning she was still stealing things that caught her eye, however, she was mostly just making sure gangsters pushing drugs stayed away from schools, rapists got clawed and beaten, along with muggers. However, that is when a young Gothamite crashed onto the scene.

Stephine Brown was on the run from her father, Arthur Brown a man who called himself Cluemaster, who had already killed his wife Crystal Brown, a friend of Selina’s and the man’s former Henchwoman. Crystal gave her life to get her daughter on a plane to Villa Hermosa with their address in her pocket. When the girl arrived outside their condo Catwoman had dropped down on her surprising the girl. Steph was admittedly acting suspiciously with a hoody pulled up and a backpack slung over her shoulder. The surprised girl threw a brick of all things at her sister, then rapidly apologized when she saw the cat ears, whip, and cat-belt buckle. She explained she was looking for Selina and needed her help. The two managed to get Cluemaster arrested for murder, the man got shanked in prison.

However, something changed in Stephanie as the pair worked together to apprehend her father, and she asked Selina to train her so she could spoil the crimes of other criminals. Selina told the girl she herself was a criminal, but Steph would not hear it insisting that well she may steal things she was still a hero and not a criminal. Maggie stepped in and encouraged Selina to train the girl as Maggie could tell the girl was not like Holly Robertson, she would not misuse the skills Selina would teach her, and that the girl would just seek out someone else for training.

Selina still tried to say no. Maggie then pointed out that the girl would likely be going into the foster system. Neither of the Kyle sisters had good experiences in that system. Selina said she would train the girl if Maggie took Stephine as her ward, Maggie after discussing it with the girl one-upped her sister and formally adopted the girl. As of this year, Stephine Brown was now Stephanie Kyle. And the Kyle sisters both loved the hyper, quirky girl…who still had a penchant for throwing bricks at criminals.

“Steph wakes up and packs a bag we're going to Gotham,” Maggie said as she shook the girl.

However, Stephine Kyle was not always easy to wake up and had been tired out from helping Selina deal with a large gang earlier in the night. So, Maggie made her way to the girl’s bathroom and grabbed the glass kept in there, filling it with freezing cold water. She walked back into the girl’s room and dumped the glass on the girl’s face.

“Ghaaa why am I fighting Mera…again.” The fifteen-year-old screams as she wakes up, launches herself out of her bed, and crashes onto the floor.

Despite what was going on Maggie could not help but give a chuckle at the girl's antics, however, this was not the time for laughter. Stephane was a short blond girl standing at five foot five, with blue eyes, well her upper body was neither flat nor big, her large rear was her best feature. Her blond hair fell down just past her neck.

“Get dressed and pack your bags we're going to Gotham. We need to be at the airport in two and a half hours.” Maggie again told her daughter a serious look on her face laughter in her eyes.

“Has Bruce finally called Selina? Is there coffee?... please tell me everything’s ok with Helena…is there coffee?” The girl asks as she goes inter her bathroom to dry herself off.

“No Helena is not ok, I did not ask but her condition was bad enough to put Selina in tears, that’s why we are going to Gotham. She says she needs to get her back legally and needs Bruce’s help to do it,” Maggie says sadly yet there was anger in the kind woman’s eyes.

“ **WHAT!!!!!** I am not going back to Gotham, I am staying here so I can give those fuckers a Spoiler Warning and keep Helena safe well Selina gets her baby daddy down here to get custody. Were, are my really heavy bricks, I need to introduce those bastiches to the Spoiler Special.” The fisty angry young woman says as she makes a beeline for her stage ware only for maggie to grab her by the back of her purple T-shirt.

“No, we are all going to Gotham it’s too risky to have anyone associated with Catwoman going after these people as it could affect a custody decision. If this were not the case, I would be shoving my cane up someplace extremely uncomfortable for those foster parents right now. You can pack your stagewear and run around Gotham if you want but you’re coming…if you do you stay in Gotham you stay away from The Joker; you see even a hint of that monster and you run the other way.” Maggie says with a glare.

“No, I am like staying someone needs to feed our cats too,” Stephine argues she was not leaving her cousin in the custody of monsters like her father, no anyone who would harm a toddler was a worse monster than her father.

“Aunt Linda said she will feed the cats; you’re coming with even if I have to knock you out and have Selina drag your ass there. Now get dressed in clivi’s and pour yourself a cup of coffee, it’s going to be a long flight.” Maggie tells Stephine conveniently leaving out she had prepared decaf Black Canary.

“Fine, you like win. You Nunja…hehehehe Nunja” Stephine giggles as she gives in…only because she knew her mom would act on her threat, Maggie was gentle as a lamb till someone threatened her family then she became a scary Warrior Nunja.

Arkham Asylum (warning dark)

Batman exited the staircase one floor before the basement where the isolation cells were, Waylon was on this floor and he needed both hands to get Pamala out of isolation. It was considered cruel punishment to leave Pamala in an isolated cell due to her unique physiology, well lack of sunlight would not kill her, as she was tough as grass, However, it would make the woman as weak as a newborn kitten and very lethargic. She would not be able to fight back after three days in these conditions, something Harley also knows. Given the condition, he found Harley in Batman was genuinely scared for Pamala.

‘Wait Page Monroe and Peyton Riley are both currently in Arkham…’ that cold feeling in his stomach intensified when he realized this.

He was glad Waylon sell was the closest to the stairwell as he burst into the ward. Waylon who was looked like a human/crocodile hybrid due to an atavistic genetic disorder has a massive frame and stood at six feet five inches tall. The man is both awake and heavily restrained in his cell, he looked tired and hungry. Batman pulled out the portable pistol-shaped laser cutter from a pouch in his bandolier and used it to open his sale. He gently set Harley down on the man’s cot, then removed Waylon's mussel.

“What the fuck did they do to Harley Bats?” Is the first thing that comes out of Waylon's mouth seeing one of the few people that did not treat him as a monster passed out.

“Bad things Waylon…no horrible things. I am going to undo your restraints, but I need your word you will not kill anyone tonight, I have plans in motion to fix Arkham, for now, you all will be transferred to Blackgate. After I secure vital evidence, I will be calling in both GCPD and the Justice League. However, in the meantime, Harley can’t defend herself and needs to be guarded. I need to get Pamala, with the condition I found Harley in Pamala…” Batman trailed off he could not finish that sentence.

“I’ll protect her and Ivy your way Bats, we all know you could be far worse to us given what we have pulled, yet you still treat all of us, even the clown with respect and some kindness. I smelt what they were doing Ivy for the last three months, which is why I have been fed and given water through a tube. These monsters said my punishment was to know when and how often they were punishing the ‘Monster Woman of Gotham’. However, you need to know something Bats it’s not just Ivy down there, Page, Peyton, that cop Montoya, and some redhead I never met are being… abused down there too.” Waylon says as Batman freezes for a moment as he undoes one of Waylon’s restraints.

‘This is all **MY fault**.’ Batman thinks to himself the coldness in his stomach felt even colder than Mr. Freeze.

Renee Montoya at the insistence of her girlfriend Katherine Kane checked herself into Arkham to get help with her alcoholism. Katherine ‘Kate’ Kane is Bruce Wayne’s cousin and one of the few biological family members Bruce has left. Kate had gone out of town’ two weeks ago to visit friends. Kate is also a redhead and was having trouble handing getting kicked out of West point due to a Don’t ask don’t tell violation and protecting a fellow cadet with a promising future. Batman had saved her from being violated six months ago when she stumbled drunk and high out of a club.

Batman also had called in a favor with Gordon that night to have Renee handle arrest his cousin for drunken disorderly conduct. The two hit it off and were good for each other. Renee chose to come out to her parents two months later, it did not end well, and Renee fell into a bottle. Kate had managed to convince Renee to check into Arkham’s alcohol treatment program last month, as even The Joker did not mess with the addiction treatment patients at Arkham. God, he hoped he was wrong but the timing fit and Kate was the type of woman who would use the issues she was struggling with to check into Arkham to check on her girlfriend. Both were women who would not allow injustice to take place, they likely noticed something was wrong at Arkham and investigated. Their reward was…

‘This is **my** **fault** ’ Batman angrily thinks as he finished undoing Wayans restraints.

“ **Batmen** look here,” Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, who was awake due to his facial scars paining him. 

Harvey dent stood at six feet even with a slightly slimmer frame the batman or crock and was obsessed with the number two after half his face was scarred with acid when he was Gotham’s DA. He also believed the only true law in the world was that of the flip of a coin, always giving his victims a 50/50 shot, and used the coin to also determine what his next action would be. Harvey had slammed a coin against the glass, a penny he had kept hidden in his shoe, heads up. He then shocked both Batman and Croc by throwing the coin through the small glass holes in the polycarbonate walls of his cell.

“You’re the coin tonight Batman, let us help you. Ivy needs light and her medicine she is given in winter to prevent her from falling into depression medicine which is kept in the pharmacy. The woman down there should have a guard till you can get them some jumpsuits, thankfully laundry is next to the pharmacy. Let us guard them.” Harvey says the worry in his voice clear for all to hear.

Batman notices the man was not in the best condition, his lenses were still in medical vision mode, Harvey had two broken ribs and multiple bruises, and his leg was badly sprained. However, Batman also knew that both sides of Harvey Dent had fallen in love with Detective Renee Montoya, and both sides knew that well the woman did care for him after Gotham’s No man’s land period, she would never love them as they loved her, yet they still looked out for her. They knew she was dating his friend Bruce Wayne’s cousin and they were happy for Renee. They were also sad for her for what her father did to her. She had already been a bit of a drinker back when he was a DA, and her parents disowning her caused her to cross the line from almost an alcoholic to full-blown alcoholism. They were happy that Kate convinced her to get treatment before her drinking cost the woman her badge.

“You have a point…fine step back,” Batman says, shocking the rouges.

Batman uses the laser cutter to open the door. The pair then make their way down to the isolation cells. Waylon gently lifted Harley and put her under his thin blanket, gently tucked it around her. He then stood quietly and protectively in front of his open cell door. However, the rouges also began talking well they waited for Batman to return with their Rose.

“We are wondering where the birds are?” Harvey asks as they made their way down the steps, Batman moving slower than he would have liked out of concern for Harvey's injuries.

“Asleep, this is **my** fault and I am the one who needs to make it right,” Batman says and Harvey can hear the guilt in his voice.

Batman figured Pamala would be in the first of the five cells...both for ease of access and because she has been in Arkham the longest.

“Turn around Harvey,” Batman says as he uses his cutter to cut through the heavy steel door, he was right and Pamala’s reaction as the heavy steel door opened made the three men both sick and enraged.

“Stay away, stay away…away…no…no, no more, please no more.” Pamala Isley says with a degree of fear in her voice none of the men present have ever heard in her voice.

Pamala Isley aka Poison Ivy is an incredibly strong-willed and beautiful redhead who stood at five foot eight inches tall, yet the fear and panic she was displaying as she pushes herself into the far corner of the small steel cell enraged Batman-like few other things did, yet he kept it from his voice. Batman notes she Is not clothed and kept his eyes on the pale woman’s face.

“Pamala, it's Batman, I am not going to hurt you, I am going to taking you to Waylon, Harley is with him he will keep you safe. however to help you protect yourself, here, rosa seeds,” Batman says calmly as he pulls said seeds from a container in his utility Bandelier.

He knew Pamala did not have the strength right now to call on the green, but he also knew Pam would feel safer with the seeds. She quickly snatched them out of her hand. She instinctively knew Batman would not hurt her as she had done nothing bad in months, …no bad was done to her. She did not react as Batman removed his cape and wrapped it around her covering her body. Then he gently lifts her into his powerful arms,

‘These women are not going to go to Blackgate, I will call in a favor with Diana and have them sent to Themyscira. This is all my **fault**.’ Batman thinks as he holds Pamela.

“Rose seeds, excellent choice Batman. There are other women down here going through the same treatment in the other cells down the row…you need to save them, you can save them right, your Batman you always save everyone, you have even saved Superman. Thankfully, no one has been down here in an hour but that is rare…” Pamala says delirious.

Well Pam hates most men, she would never turn her back on a woman being abused, Harley is a great example of this fact. The prolonged lack of sunlight was making it hard for her to concentrate and form coherent sentences, but she had to make sure Batman knew about the others.

“Harvey will be down here to protect them till I can get them clothes as I only have one cape. With what they have been through I do not think they will want to be out of their cells naked.” Batman whispers to the woman gently, Pamala just nods her head not taking her eyes off the seeds in her hands.

“I am trusting you Harvey here. I’ll be back soon.” Batman says as he hands Harvey a collapsing baton, the man would need the weapon if someone came down.

Batman then leaves Harvey and returns to Waylon’s cell.

“What happened to Harley?” Pam says delirious and angry when she saw the condition of her wife, as Batman hands her to Waylon.

“Bad things Ivy, bad things. But Batman saved her.” Waylon gently whispers to his friend as he sets her next to Harley.

“Look we have been talking well you were getting Ivy. We give you our words we will not kill anyone tonight, so let us help you, the sooner your evidence is gathered the sooner we can get to Blackgate.” Bane says with cold resolve in his voice.

Bane real name unknown, is a massive man standing six foot eight inches tall, with a grotesquely broad frame says from his cell his Spanish accent and strong voice holding conviction in it. Batman had not bothered to switch off of medical diagnostic mode, he prefers not to rely on his gadgets, they were a crutch. However only Selina and his kids knew this, his kids knew because he instilled the same philosophy with them, Selina knew it because Selina knew him better than even Alfred. However, the medical Diagnostic mode also worked as a lie detector, taking in information on perspiration, pupil dilation heart rate, and more, even with banes damaged physiology from abusing venom, batman could tell the man meant what he said.

Batman debated with himself for merely a moment, but there was only one choice as this was all his fault.

“Bane you’re the only one both stealthy and strong enough to help, you need to carry Edward to the server room he is in no condition to walk,” Batman says as he uses his cutter to open Bane's door.

Then he tests the man’s sincerity by turning his back on him as he cuts opens the door to Eds cell. Bane was both in better condition than the others and when off venom like he at this time, Bane is also not as destructive as the rest when it came to Gotham, as Bane wanted to conquer the criminal element. His condition was manageable as he only has a few electrical burns and a few bruises.

“Edward, I trust you know what to do with this, I need you to copy every piece of the data on the servers. Then when you and Bane come back both of you get in your cells. This needs to be quiet, no Riddles. We can’t be caught, or all evidence will be destroyed” Batman says as he hands Eddy the device in his hand, it looked like a simple flash drive however it had enough storage to copy all the data on Arkham’s server nine times over.

Batman did not have an auto hacking drive big enough for the data he needed and Arkham was a closed system. He had planned on hacking in and copying the data manually, thankfully Edward Nygma aka The Riddler was one of the best hackers on the planet. He hands the flash drive to Edward Nygma. Ed is a green-eyed brown-haired man standing six foot one with a swimmer's build, no handsome but not ugly.

“After seeing Ivy in that condition, it will be easy to ignore my compulsion for a change,” Eddy says with a frown.

Eddy has an untreated broken leg, several busted ribs, his right eye is swollen shut. He would not be able to walk.

“It seems I will be doing this job for Mr. dent. This is more than enough to cover my fees” Bane said as he picked up the penny.

Bane knew Batman did not trust him; however, he also knew the Bat knew his reputation as a mercenary, he would not betray a client, and as Harvey said Batman was his coin tonight. Bane knew by doing this would reassure Batman that he would be listening to the bat as the coin is what was really in charge with when it came to Two-face. Well, Bane has been raised in a prison all his life, the death of his mother affected him as much as the death of Batman’s parents affected him. Yes, Bane would pay for the services of a professional woman, however, he would never harm a woman unless she was trying to harm him.

“I am going to get the girls some jumpers, Pamala’s medication, and the pharmacist. The pharmacist started today, so she should be trustworthy as she is a rooky just out of med school. Let’s not waste any more time.” Batman says he leaves as Nygma wraps his arms around banes neck.

Nygma and Bane make their way through the halls heading to the server room Bane skillfully avoiding the camera’s having long ago studied the layout of Arkham

Batman makes his way up to flights of stairs and quietly picks the lock to the door of the pharmacy and gets in five seconds. The pharmacist was a young woman named Patricia Vale younger sister of Vicky vale. Patricia was shorter than her sister standing five foot five inches tall, had a softer face and red hair instead of blond. Batman gently covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming as he entered the room.

“Sorry for scaring you, Arkham…is not a safe place for its inmates anymore and I need your help,” Batman tells the woman as he lets her go. Patricia turns around and stares in awe at the urban legend and hero.

“What do you need?” She asks and thinks ‘Vicky was right he really is tall, dark, and has a handsome jaw.’

“I need you to get all the medical supplies you can carry, there are five women who may be dehydrated and have been severely violated, with other possible injuries, they are the immediate concern. We also need the special medication Pamala Isley takes in winter to prevent going into a lethargic and depressed state due to lack of adequate sunlight as she has been absent from it for too long. Other inmates need medical treatment, but these are the priority cases as the male patients will all insist the woman be treated first. Well, you’re gathering what you need I need to get five jumpers from the laundry. Do not leave till I get back. I will be back in five minutes tops.” Batman says as he leaves, he woman to gather what she needs.

Batman grabs the right-sized women’s jumpsuits and a few other things that will be needed for one of the women. He then returns and grabs Dr. Vale trading the light jumpsuits for the medical supplies she had gathered in a bin.

Villa Hermosa, California

Selina arrived home and turned off her motorcycle, a sports bike that was powerful and fast. She could not help but miss her Catcycle but that was back in Gotham and likely had long sense bin striped for parts as she left it in the Batcave, before she went to Blackgate. She checked her watch and saw that she would have time for a quick shower. Her watch is a delicate platinum Rolex Bruce had bought her. Bruce had reinforced to make sure it would not break when she punched some creep and he had painted a little bat and cat on the face. Her bat got it for her on what he thought was the anniversary of the first time the Bat fought the Cat, she always wore this watch and was wearing it when she went in and walked out of Blackgate. Selina ran up the steps taking them two at a time she just did not have the patience to wait on the elevator which was really nothing new.

“Hay aunt Sel, can I stay and give those bastards who hurt Helena a Spoiler Special well you go get help from your ‘ex’?” Selina could not help but smile at Stephanie’s greeting.

The Spoiler special equated to Spoiler throwing bricks at her opponent…she did not know what it was with this girl and bricks.

“I would like nothing more than to allow that but no, I can’t risk fucking up getting Helena back, she will be in her father’s custody, but Bruce will literally move heaven and earth to keep our child safe. Now I need a shower before we go so out of the way girl.” Selina says sadly making a beeline for her room.

Selina knew she would not be good for Helena and Bruce likely has moved on despite, any fantasy she had about getting back together with him. Well, her Bat might forgive her for keeping their child a secret, but he would never forgive her for waiting two years to check on their baby girl.

“What does she mean in her father’s custody?” Stephine asks her mom looking confused.

Steph had changed into a pair of blue jeans that showed off her booty and a black hailstorm shirt. She also put on a little bit of lip gloss.

“She is likely thinking Bruce won't forgive her for keeping Helena from him and for her condition. She likely thinks Bruce would fall out of love with her when he learns what happened to their daughter. She already blames herself for waiting to check on her for so long. I am sure Bruce will surprise her.” Maggie says with a small smile, and she would be right.

Selina was glad her sister did not pack her favorite pair of blue jeans as she wanted to wear them. They are tight in the right places but comfortable and well-worn with a rip in the right knee. However, they were really her favorite pair because Bruce could never keep his eyes off her ass whenever she wore them. She grabbed a thin tight black v neck sweater that hugged her girls just right but only gave a hint of cleavage. She then grabbed some underwear from her dresser but does not realize she grabbed the purple silk thong and bra combo she knew Bruce loved to see her in.

Selina then steps into her bathroom and turns on her shower to let it warm up well she stripped out of her catsuit. When she gets out of the shower. Selina checked her watch again she was glad to see that she was on schedule. She did not realize she took a bit more time to make sure her hair and makeup would be perfect when they got to Gotham. She grabbed her bag and favorite pair of black boots as she left her room.

“What?” Selina asks at the knowing smiles her sister and niece gave her as she sits down and pulls on her boots, she only wore socks in the winter, and early spring, it was currently late spring and warm in Gotham. 

“Nothing looking, good cat aunt,” Stephine says. Selina checks her watch and pulls her keys out of her purse.

“Steph you’re driving, Maggie drives like she is still a nun and I want to get to the damn airport as soon as possible, Maggie I am sitting in the back it’s been a stressful day and I need a smoke. Plus, Steph is sixteen in two months and needs all the practice she can get before her driver’s test” Selina says with a tired sad smile as she throws the keys to the Kyles Purple 1962 Jaguar to the girl who had an excited smile.

Selina only smoked a cigarette when she had a particularly bad day however it had been a dreadful day and she would be chain-smoking cigarettes on the way to the airport, something she had not done since her breakup with Bruce.

Arkham (warning dark)

Batman and Dr. Vale make their way down to Waylon’s cell where Dr. Vale at once begins assessing Pamala and Harley. Batman takes four of the jumpsuits from her and makes his way down to the basement. Harvey was blocking the door, waiting impatiently spinning the baton around his fingers. There were five isolation cells close to the one stairwell. Batman figured the guards would want their victims where they could quickly and easily access them. So, Batman approaches the second door from the stairwell. He knocks hard on it.

“It’s Batman, can you move?” Batman asks.

“No” comes the weak voice from the door, filling his mind with a rage which he stomps down as now was not the time for it.

“I am coming in, I am using a cutting laser to open the door, shut your eyes,” Batman says forcing himself to feel nothing as he looks at Harvey who once again turns around. He cuts the lock and handles off pushing the door open.

Batman sees several mirrors have been installed in the cell and knows he has found Page Monroe aka Calendar girl. A former supermodel and actress who suffers from Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Page’s BDD had been assuaged by her work until the dark side of the industries she worked in showed their face and fired her when she turned thirty. Batman knows Miss Monroe has been in Arkham for two and a half months. Based on the mirrors her mental state is likely going to be the worst of five women given they used her condition to further torture her.

“Before I come in I am informing you that I am going to look at the ceiling out of respect for your medical condition, my lenses are recording for evidence of your treatment at the hands of the staff, I have them in medical mode which uses an algorithm to preserve your modesty, however, I did not think to program it to blur your face, Miss Monroe, I will cover your face before I record you. I have a jumper and some things to cover your face with, may I come in to put them on you?” Batman says as he looks up at the ceiling.

Page barely managed to roll over as the only place that did not have a mirror was the wall that faced away from the door, but the door was open blocking the mirrors on them, she looks and sees that Batman is looking up at the ceiling.

“Come in.” Page weakly says she knows from his voice like gravel and discipline, and his body language that it was Batman.

Batman’s eyes never leave the ceiling as he reached into one of his utility bandoliers and pulled a simple domino mask with white one-way lenses made of simple polycarbonate and placed it over the woman’s eyes the elastic strap will keep it over her eyes, then he covers her nose and mouth with a surgical mask. To finish covering as much of Page's head as he can batman folded a dishrag, he grabbed from the laundry folded it, and tied it like a bandana around her head.

“I would like your permission to dress you Miss Monroe as you do not appear to have the strength to do it yourself,” Batman says forcing himself to keep his voice as soothing as possible.

Batman wanted with every fiber of his being to break his one rule for what has been done at Arkham. This case tested Batman’s will like no other has. Not even Joker at his worse has tested him like this.

“You have it, Batman.” Batman keeps his eyes on the ceiling as he bunches up the orange jumpsuit and carefully pulls up the jumper over the woman then zipping it up.

Only now does batman scan over the woman letting his cowl run diagnostics on the Page. He notes her condition with a worried frown.

“I will be right back Miss Monroe I need to check on one more woman before I can take you to Waylon, he will keep you safe well I free the rest of the woman down here, then I will be calling in the Justice League to help me bring the people who did to you all to justice. I have a person who will guard your cell door till I get back he will keep you safe.” Batman tells Page as he gently lays her down.

Page does not reach for him as he is Batman, if he says she will be safe, she knows she will be safe. Batman steps out of Page’s cell and A shadow steps in front of the door facing away from her. Batman noticed a pattern Pamala had been in Arkham for five months, Page had been in the second-longest at two and a half months, Peyton Riley the second Ventriloquist has been in for a month and a half. Renee has been in Arkham for a month for her alcohol treatment program. For Harvey's sake, he went to the second to last cell and nocked.

“Detective Montoya are you in there?” Batman asks through the door and from the corner of his eye, he noticed Harvey stiffen.

“Ye…yes” a woman’s weak voice is barely audible from the cell.

“Can you move?” Batman asks Montoya.

“No.” Renee Montoya once again weakly responds.

“I am going to open the door with a cutting laser, please close your eyes and if you can look away from the door, I have my cowl recording, I will be respectful of your condition and not look anywhere inappropriate, also my cowl has built-in parental controls so your modesty will remain intact in the recording. I have a jumper for you, I would like your permission to dress you.” Batman says as he cuts through the door.

“You have permission,” Renee weakly moans out.

Batman enters and quickly dresses her the same way he did Page.

“Harvey is with me, are you ok with him carrying you, I had to open one more door before I could figure out which cell you were in, if not he will stay here with you until I can come down and get you,” Batman asks her.

“Harvey can carry me just get me just so long as he gets me <the fuck out of this cell>,” Renee says, switching to Spanish at the end.

Renee knew Harvey would not hurt her. Hearing this Harvey hurriedly enters Renee’s sell as batman leaves it and picks her up.

“We will meet you up their bats get Miss Monroe; we won’t forget that you’re the coin tonight,” Harvey says as he picks up the woman, they love in s bridal carry and makes their way to the steps.

Batman takes the time to melt the locks on the last two doors to prevent them from being opened if some on comes looking to take something from the two remaining women before he can get them out. Then Batman walks back to Page’s cell and enters it.

“Thank you, Batman.” Page weakly tells the man as he picks her up.

“Your welcome, Miss Monroe, however, I do not deserve it, it’s my fault you’re in this condition, I should have noticed Arkham had been compromised a lot soon sooner,” Batman tells her as he walks out of the cell, that’s when he hears it.

**BANG…BANG, BANG** Three gunshots shatter the quiet of the night…

To be continued.

God this chapter was hard for me to write I put off working it to work on other stories just to keep my sanity intact.


	2. Chapter two: Dawn Breaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> who was shot in Arkham? (I realized I forgot to run this through Grammarly and I also did some minor edits)

(warning Dark)

Charles Epps was a large bald white man standing six foot even and works as an orderly and psychiatric nurse at Arkham. Charles's brother Armstrong Epps was a gangbanger arrested by Detective Montoya well she was still a beat cop a few years ago. Armstrong was killed in lockup by some guy from a rival gang. Charles did not blame the rival Gang Banger who killed his brother, no he blamed officer Montoya.

As such Charles had been…enjoying… Montoya’s lovely form for the last month after he caught her snooping around. He was doing his rounds before he went to again enjoy the woman’s charms. That is when Charles found the guard Dagon Duncan, who had lost a brother during ‘that’ breakout. All the men on staff had their fun with Harley Quinn however they had all agreed she would not be part of the brothel they had in the isolation cells. They were going to end that particular black mark on Arkham that was Dr. Harleen Quinzel and they allowed Dagon to finish her off.

Charles knew the Bat was behind this as the man was still breathing and he knew the Bat would likely take the bitch to Killer Croc, and that freak would inform him about what the staff has been doing to the Monster Woman of Gotham, along with Montoya and the redhead woman who came looking for Montoya, Katherine Rebecca Kane. He knew every member of the Arkham staff would be arrested, however, Charles also knew Batman would not call in for whatever backup he needed until the inmates were ‘safe’ and that gave him an opening.

Given he was not in handcuffs with Wonder Woman standing on his back, he knew he knew this was his chance to get his revenge. He gave an evil smile as he pulled the Dagon’s gun from its holster, switched off the safety catch, and cocked it. He was already going in for what he has done with Montoya as he was the one to use her most often and given, she was a favorite of Gordon’s he was going to Blackgate and thus was already a dead man. His current method of revenge had been a lot of fun. However, it was now time to permanently avenge his brother. Leading with the firearm in a proper hold he made his way down to the high-security ward on the first floor. Charles made his way down the steps and could not believe his luck there was Montoya in the arms of Two-face. He gave a cruel smile as he fired his stolen gun three times.

Batman…

**BANG… BANG, BANG** Three gunshots shatter the quiet of the night Batman draws a Batarang well carrying Page with one arm as he runs up the stairs three at a time and is at the top of them in moments. When he sees what happened he drops his batarang in shock. Batman sees Bane standing over an unconscious bald white man wearing blue scrubs which is the color warn orderlies.

“Gringo, you got very lucky today, for you see I am under contract not to kill tonight.” Batman hears the Spanish accent of Bane, he missed Edward Nygma hanging on the man’s back like a baby monkey.

What shocked Batman was not Bane’s actions, no it was that there on the floor of the stairwell was one of his oldest friends, Harvey Dent, three bullet wounds in his back one in each lung and one close to his heart. Batman did not need his cowls diagnostics vision to see that these wounds were fatal, his friend would be dead in minutes. Batman knew he had to get Page to Waylon's cell, but he was not going to let Harvey die alone. He carefully walked around Harvey, Waylon moves aside as he lays Page down on a bed, Dr. Vale must have had Waylon remove the beds from Bane and Edward’s cell and bring them into Waylon’s.

Harvey…

We do not know where she found the strength, but Renee rolled us onto our back we knew we are already dead, our brain has just not caught on to the fact yet.

“Why Harvey why did you shield me why…they were meant for me? I am… damaged goods and disowned I am not worth it. Why?” Renee asks us, we do not think she realizes she is crying as her fists are collar with her hands.

We are happy she was on our good side on his good side, that’s where she needs to always be, on the good side. Gotham needed her to stay on the good side.

“Because we still love you Renee and unlike us, you can still do good. We know you will never feel quite the same way we do but we do not care. Do us a…” we caught up blood, however, we refused to die before we get what out she needed to hear.

We feel our bad sides hand be taken up, the gloves indicated it was Batman…no at this moment he is not Batman…not Batman… our friend Bruce, even before they became two, they knew the moment Batman approached them when he was an assistant DA that the man under the cowl was their friend Bruce Wayne. They were glad he backed out of the deal he made with Bruce when they were both in that boy’s home, as Bruce would not have become the hero he is today if he had killed their father all those years ago.

This thought gave them the strength he needed to finish what he needed to tell Renee. Harvey reached up with their good hand and whipped a tear from Renee's eye, Renee lets go of their shirt and held it to her cheek with both of her small hands.

“Do us a favor Renee, do not let what’s happened to you break you, do not let it poison you, do not use it as an excuse to fall back into the bottle. Do not let this turn your love for the people of Gotham to hate, Gotham needs all the good cops she can get, and you’re the best cop in this whole damn city. Help the Bat clean it up to make it a place you…” we again cough up blood are good eyes vision is going dark now, however, we refuse to die until we finish this.

“Renee, Make Gotham a place you will want to raise your kids in. Make it good. Make Gotham a better place like we could not. Like how you are with us in our last moments, please stay on the good side.” We finish, however, before we find out where we are going next Renee surprises us one last time.

Renee Montoya …

I listen to this scared damaged man tell me he loves me and does not care that I will never be able to love him the way he wants me to. I listen to the favor he asks of me. To continue to be a good police officer, to not let what happened to me break me not let it poison me, to make Gotham a place I would want to raise my kids.

‘Chika you need to do more than just tell him you will do him this favor; you need to make him know you will do it before he dies to make him know that you will grant him his dying wish.’ I think and I make up my mind.

He is right I will never love him the way he wants me to, but I can make his last moment on earth a good one and give him something. I take his head in both my hands looking him in the eyes, one a brilliant blue, the other a damaged milky white. I lean down and kiss him dead on the lips closing my eyes and not flinching at the feel of the damaged badly scared left side of his face.

I seal my promise to him with the first loving kiss I have ever given a man. With this kiss I promise to him I will not let what happened to me break me, I will not let it poison me, and I will make Gotham a place where I want to raise my children. He breaths his last breaths into me and as I pull back from him. For a moment I swear I see a bat in place of Harvey’s head, yet I do not flinch away. I just shut both his eyes.

“I promise I will not let this break me Harvey Dent I will stay on the good side,” I tell the dead man as I gently roll his head to the right side so that the world can only see the good man he was and not the monster he became. I somehow find the strength to shift myself into a kneeling position and clasp my hands together in prayer.

‘God, I know we have been on the outs since Papa disowned me, but please I promise to go to mass every Sunday, confess my sins every week, repent for them, and I will fulfill Harvey’s dying wish. All I ask God is this, please judge the good man and the monster separately. Let the good man rise well you cast the monster back into the hell it came from.’ I silently pray.

Then the adrenaline wears off, and I start to fall, yet a strong pair of arms catch me, they lift me up, and carrying me to Croc…no Waylon’s cell. These arms are connected to the man who had quietly held Harvey'sbad’ hand as he died. I look up in my delirious fatigue and I know who Batman no, I know who the man behind the mask is.

I know because Batman did not have the bearing of a man who was just being kind to a dying man for the Batman has always been an unselfish man, a man that would hold the hand of even a monster like The Joker as it lay dying. No in this moment of loss he was the mortal man behind the symbol, batman was a man who has known many tragedies, a man who just lost one of his oldest friends, the man who introduced Harvey to his ex-wife, and the only man who visited Harvey regularly when in Arkham Asylum. Batman was Harvey’s best friend, a man who never gave up on Harvey…Batman is Bruce Wayne, and she would take this secret to her grave. Renee knew this because she saw the tear fall from under the bat's cowl.

Batman…

Bruce held Harvey’s hand, listening to Harvey talk to Montoya. He lets a small sad smile breaking through his control as Renee seals her promise to stay on the good side with a kiss. He watched as she gives a private prayer and notice as she started to sway and he catches her. Batman picks her up, he will grieve later.

“Don’t let Harvey’s death and what happened to us in this toxic place poison you Bruce.” Bruce hears Montoya whisper to Bruce as she wipes away the lone tear that falls from his cowl before anyone can see it. Then he is Batman again and he carries Renee to Waylon's cell laying her in an empty bed. Batman noticed that Pamala’s pigmentation has become better than it was when he left her, good her medicine working. He sees she has been dressed in a jumper and was now running her fingers through Harley's hair. He grabs his cape but does not put it on.

“Bane, are you still Harvey’s employee?” Batman asks as he looks at the massive man.

“Yes, He said you were the coin, tonight, I will keep my contract till we are out of this gentle hell,” Bane tells Batman. For bane Arkham even with his beating and tasing Arkham was a vacation compared to his own Pena Duro.

“I have a plan, however first I need to get the other two women up here. Bane… please move Harvey to a safer location and cover him.” Batman says as he hands Bane his cape. He then handcuffs the scum who killed His friend and grabs the gun that killed him. Batman ejects the magazine, then pops the round out from the chamber, removes the slide and the firing pin. He then tucks the pieces into an evidence bag well keeping the firing pin leaving the rest with Harvey’s body. Batman then makes his way downs the steps, however, halfway down where he is unseen, he puts his fist through the brick wall to vent some of his anger. His hand-ins fine as he pulls it from the wall and he makes his way down the rest of the steps.

Batman quickly got Peyton Riley up to Waylon's cell. However, he could not help but notice the look of concern on Thomas Elliot aka Hush's face at the blond woman’s condition. Batman knew there had once been some kind of relationship between the two…he made his way up to his friend’s cell.

“Thomas, you’re a doctor tonight, not Bruce Wayne, not Hush a doctor you have five deeply traumatized patients to look after, when I get back up here with the last one you will be aiding Dr. vale giving attention to **all** of them. I am going to call a favor in with a friend and have them sent somewhere there are no men, so whatever it is you have to say to Miss Riley say it.” batman says as he cuts the door open.

Tommy was not in the best state, his arm looked to have been broken at some point, but the doctor had reset it. he had several bad cuts on his face which thankfully had been restored back to Thomas’s original a few months ago. the man had several bruises and was likely not treated well due to his medical degree. Thomas made a beeline for Peyton, Thomas did not regret much in his attempts to become Bruce Wayne, but he had always regrated breaking Peyton’s heart. Dr. Elliot immediately began assessing her. Peyton despite everything that happened to her smiled at the man as he assessed her and Thomas smiled back.

However, Batman’s last trip down to the isolation cells was to be the hardest. The last woman being used by Arkham’s staff was Katherine Kane, one of the handfuls of Bruce Wayne’s remaining biological family members he had left in this world. With the loss of one of his oldest friends he needed to steel himself for this, he cleared his mind entering and barely managed to enter a meditative state. This allowed him to forcefully suppressed all his emotions as he reached up knocked on the door.

“It’s Batman can you move,” Batman asked the woman behind the door. All he can hears was a groaning pained moan that sounded like a delirious no and Batman and Bruce’s heart dropped to his stomach.

Kate is a highly trained soldier, a west point Cadet, being expelled with just a week left to go to protect a fellow cadet from Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. She would not go quietly along with what had been done to her by the men of Arkham’s staff. Of the five abused women kate would fight back and She has also been in Arkham for the shortest amount of time. Kate would not just fight back, she would fight back with everything she had every time someone tried to use her.

Batman gave his warning then cut the door open, when he saw the condition his cousin is in, he **knew** he could not physically participate in taking Arkham. Kate flinched back from him as he approached, well Batman had saved her once, she was terrified of him now. Batman did not even think about it, he just shut the door and removed his cowl raising his voice to Bruce as he silently cried.

Kate POV…(warning Dark)

I hear the knock on the door and hear the voice, it’s got to be a trick, however, I curse myself in my weakened condition, I answer honestly. I can’t even recognize my voice or the word that comes out of my mouth, it sounds vague like no. I’m dehydrated, starved, I have been drugged, I have a broken arm, a few busted ribs, my left leg was broken my left eye was partially swollen shut and I have been repeatedly and brutally violated in ways no woman ever should be.

Then the door opened, and a demonic bat knight came in. I flinched and despite the training given to me by the US military I panic trying and try to back away from the demon using my unbroken limbs to pull away. That’s when the demon does something strange, he removed his face, and I knew who the bat demon is, no it’s another trick it… the demon can’t be him, he was too soft and delicate to be the demon…it could **not** be Bruce.

“On your feet soldier,” Bruce says quoting one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, he kept his eyes on my face. Sara Conner in the second terminator film was one of the reasons I wanted to be a soldier.

“come with me if you want to live.” Bruce then says and I know in my heart it's not a trick.

“Kate, I have a jumper for you, I need to dress you given your injuries I will be as gentle as possible,” Bruce says as he quickly pulls an orange jumpsuit over my broken body and I am clothed for the first time since I got thrown into this hell.

Then Bruce turned back into the demon, however instead of being frightened again I embrace the bat demon wrapping my unbroken arm, he is my family, he would never hurt me, and he will keep me safe. He wraps his strong arms around me hugging me tightly. Then he lifts me into his arm, his frown deepening as I wince in pain. I have never seen my cousin so angry, and it's not directed at me, it's about me and the condition I was put in and I am touched. I let myself relax into my cousin’s arms as he carries me out of hell and up a flight of stairs. In this new place there are men there, but they do not leer at me and I refuse to show any more fear for like my cousin I will become a bat.

Renee is also here a line in her and her IV bag being held up by a man with brown hair. Batman sets me down next to Renee and she grabs my hand. Another woman begins assessing my injures, putting a line in my unbroken arm to help get my fluid levels up.

“Dr. Vale, Dr. Elliot multiple broken bones take care of her. I am going to the roof.” is all Bruce says.

‘Lord, I swear Never again, I will never let myself be used like this ever again, I will never let another be abused like this again…Like Bruce, I will become a bat and protect this city, I will prevent this from ever happening again. and I will do it well sticking to the commandments.’ Kate vowed to herself and The Lord.

Bane’s POV…

I know who the woman is and what she means to the bat. I wonder if this will push him to finally embrace the killer, I know is inside him. Once I broke the bat’s body yet I could not break his spirit. I am the only one who is going to ever break the bat's body and his spirit to prove that controlling all criminals is the right path. The thought of fighting a Batman who kills gets my blood boiling in excitement for a moment as a deathmatch with him would be the ultimate triumph. However, I also know if he does unleash the killer burred in him, he would no longer be the Batman and it would no longer be worth it to break him because then he would not be the man he is now, he would be **Broken** instead of being The Man Who **Can’t** Be Broken.

I make a decision, my plans can be put on hold for two years, I want him to be strong when I start my plan, right now he emotionally drained, and well I could break him easily, the victory would be but ash in my mouth. As I would not have proven my superiority to Batman. He will be broken by a plan of my own devising, or not at all. So, I get into the Bat’s face and lean in close.

“Tonight, if I need to, I will give my very life to protect your cousin, Bruce, I have my own plan to break you, and it won’t be worth it unless I start my plan when you are strong. So, to honor my employer and your friend, I am going to put my plans on hold. So, you better get over this and continue to be the man you are, The Man Who Can’t be Broken, or all the effort I have put into breaking you will be but ash in my mouth. Get some air and get your plan started.” I whisper to my worthy rival. The man gives me a grateful look as he leaves.

I take up a spot by Waylon and take the bag of saline Dr. Vale has just connected to Miss Kane’s IV and hold it up as I ready myself for a fight. I am glad to have Waylon by my side, as he is a good fighter, a strong fighter who has managed to defeat me in the past well I was using my greatest weapon, which is also my greatest weakness. Even after the withdrawals, and being clean for a year without it my body still craves venom and I feel shame.

Batman’s POV…

I never thought I would be grateful for the massive ego of a man who wants to break my body and spirit, but Banes words help get me back on track. However, my temper is still running too hot to let me take part in this mission. After what happened to Jason before he came back, someone hurting or killing a member of my Family or Selina’s is one of the few things that would give me the push I need to break my only rule, the only rule that matters. The first commandment thou shall not commit murder. The bible allows an exception to this rule, and that is in war, and I vowed to wage a never-ending war on crime.

However, I can **never** let myself cross that line; I have to try to save everyone because if I do ever cross that line, no one would be able to stop me. the only time I have taken a life is during alien invasions, but I will never kill another human. I made a second vow the night I put on the cowl for the first time, if I ever kill another human, I will turn myself in to the authorities and never put the mantle on ever again. before I head up to the roof I take a walk around the cells holding my Rouges Gallery. Unlike most hero’s Rouges, most of mine are suffering from some form of mental illness, which is why they are put in this cursed place instead of Blackgate. All of these men and women are showing signs of abuse, however, Dr. Jonathan Crane another former Psychiatric Doctor, who also for a time worked at the asylum, is in the worse shape of them. Multiple broken bones, bruises, eye swelled shut, nose at the wrong angle, he is barely alive. I cut open his cell then I finishing getting these poor soul’s conditions on film using diagnostic vision. Then I reach up to my cowl and finally switch back to normal vision mode and head for the roof.

I see that in the heads-up display of my cowl that it's now 5 AM, it has been three hours since I left the Batcave, exhaustion fills me. I start sucking on my tongue to build up silva as I pull two caffeine pills from a pouch in my utility belt. Once I have enough saliva built up, I take the pills and use the built-up silva to swallow them down. I then realized just how thirsty I am I take the small flask of water from my belt and drain it and then put it back in my belt. Arriving on the roof I use my left hand to hit another hidden button on my cowl as I unknowingly use my right arm to rub the center of my chest, where **she** left her mark on me.

“Computer, call Gordon,” I say, some regret filling me as I make this call as Gordan normally does not get to sleep until midnight at the earliest and this will also wake his wife up.

He answers the phone after three rings.

James Gordan…

Jams ‘Jim’ Gordan, groans as his w-phone rings, waking up both him and Sara. He sees there is no ID and answers it anyway. Jim knows it could be some lunatic threatening their city. He had married Detective Sara Essen now Detective Sara Gordan a year back after she transferred back to Gotham from Metropolis. God, she was just as beautiful as the day he met her. Last night she told him…told him that he was going to be a father again, and it filled him with **hope**. Thanks to Batman and the rest of the ‘Batfamily’ Gotham had **hope** again, enough **hope** that even with the craziness that is the essence of Gotham, Jim was willing to raise a family here.

The news even got him to quit smoking, he was going to quit cold turkey. However, in the last two years James had noticed a deepening sadness in Batman, the man who gives everything to protect this city, the hero Gotham definitely does **not** deserve, but the one James thanks god every night that they got. He knew Batman’s sadness had to do with Catwoman and Jim knew why, however, he would never acknowledge the **why** to himself or anyone else. Jim would not because he needed the deniability of not knowing for certain who The Batman was, as hunches and ideas did not hold up in court. However, he has known who Batman was since Barbara was shot by The Joker.

“Who is it.” I try to be polite, but my grumpiness shined through.

“Jim it's Batman” I hear and am instantly alert, I can count the number of times batman has called me on one hand and still have four fingers left.

“What is it, Batman?” I ask, at my words Sara gets out of bed, and bless her heart, I know she is going to put on a pot of coffee, and I knew she was going to use the good stuff that was a gift from my young friend Bruce Wayne last Christmas.

To think all those years ago when Batman first appeared in Gotham, his Sara had been gunning for Batman hard. Even when she returned, she still wanted to bring him in. Her tune changed when Batman saved her life from The Joker last year as the monster took offense at the woman trying to arrest his ‘best buddy’ before he could kill him. batman took six rounds from a .50 caliber revolver that were meant for her, then despite broken ribs and pain Batman still powered threw and took The Joker down. Batman then admitted he was in fact a criminal then offered himself up for her to arrest. That changed her tune about him and she just cuffed Joker telling Batman to get the fuck gone before she came to her senses.

“I am sorry for waking you and Mrs. Gordan up but it's important, however, I am first going to temporarily patch you in on the Justice League coms. I do not want to explain the situation twice. It will take a few minutes to patch you in.” Batman says and having known this man for twelve years I can hear anger he is trying to suppress, and it truly scares me, as I have never heard him this angry in the twelve years, I have worked with him. the only time I have heard something close it is when children had been put in harm’s way.

“Got it, Batman, I am going to put you on speaker,” I tell the man as I get up and grab my weapon, a .44 magnum along with my cleaning kit.

I set my phone on the kitchen table as I begin doing maintenance on my firearm, Batman has never linked me into the League business before, so whatever is going down, I am likely going to be needing this hated thing tonight. Sara seeing me do this after setting down a cup of coffee just how I like it, grabs her cleaning kit, and begins doing the same with her .45 automatic. I want to argue that she and the baby are going to stay far away from whatever is going down, but I know my wife, and I know she would not listen to me.

“I just wish I could drink coffee,” Sara complains as she gets to work a few minutes later we both jump as batman begins to speak.

“01 to all Justice League members, Code red, civilian law enforcement is looped in the line, James and Sara Gordan. It's going to take another minute for the league members to wake up.” Batman explains as we listen in. It is a surreal feeling for my wife and me to be in a conversation with some of the most powerful beings on the planet.

Justice league Come line (somewhat dark) …

Superman: What is the situation.

Flash 2: What is it bats.

Wonder woman: What is it.

Flash 3: On com.

Aquaman: What do you need Batman?

Hawkwoman: What do I need to smash.

Lobo: The Main Man is here for you Batman.

Green lantern 1: Here

Star Sapphire: (yawn) Here… here…need coffee, I make us some Green Lantern.

Wonder woman: What is it, Batman.

Superman: What do you need us to do.

Batman: I will restate that I have Commissioner James Gordan looped in along with his wife Sara Gordan, as we will need his help. Also, well the following mission well a code red is strictly for volunteers only. Arkham has been corrupted, I have a plan, however, I first need to explain the situation and time is of the essence so please do not interrupt.

I learned tonight that the Joker is dead in his cell and has been for a year. The staff at Arkham is responsible and the only person I know for sure is not involved is Dr. Vivian Vale the new pharmacist at Arkham as she just started tonight. However rampant abuse of patients has occurred, and six women have been repeatedly violated in the worst way. This is proof that whatever is going on here, it goes too deep for me to handle alone. Of the woman longest-suffering is Pamala Isley, then Page Monroe, Peyton Riley, and Officer Renee Montoya of GCPD who entered Arkham’s Alcohol treatment program. However, in the worst shape are the last two admitted to Arkham, a civilian who like voluntarily admitted herself to help get, she has extensive military training and is named Katherine Kane…

Every member of The League, even the crazy Lobo, gasped at the last name, they all know who Batman is, and who Kate is to him.

Batman: and Harley Quin, she turned herself in two days ago, I found her being strangled to death after being violated by an unknown number of people. After subduing her assailant, I found her not breathing, yet I managed to revive her. However, there has already been one casualty, aside from The Joker so far, Harvey Dent was shot and killed shielding Detective Montoya. I had Edward Nygma gather every piece of data on the Arkham computer system, so we have all the evidence of tampering with the feeds we will need, I have the Batcomputer record every piece of information the camera’s record and in such a way that we will have more than enough evidence on the staff which will be forwarded to the GCPD. For personal reasons I cannot aid in retaking of the asylum, Sara, Jim the league knows why, and I doubt the two of you want to know.

Gordan: I think I know why. However, deniability is a good thing when it comes to our relationship with Batman.

Batman: Now here’s my plan…first of Lobo I know you will be disappointed but if you come, I need your word there will be **no** killing.

Lobo: And you got it, but I am not going to hold back too much on those bastiches, even The Main Man does not violate women in that manner, never have, never will. The Main Man never needs more than his charm or his wallet to get a woman.

Batman: Flash II I need you to gather enough warrants and fill them out as every member of Arkham’s staff is to be arrested on conspiracy charges, attempted murder of Harley Quinn, and the murder of Harvey Dent. We can sort out who if any are innocent and add other charges later. Flash I and Flash II I would appreciate it if wake up the other speedsters and have them help you arrest everyone outside of Arkham once Gordon has filled out the warrants. Before you ask, the city of Gotham, along with the state of New Jersey has granted the Commissioner of Gotham the power to in emergency situations like this, issue warrants should he deem time of the essence.

The patients are all unable to defend themselves and secure in their cell. The exceptions being the woman along with Waylon Jones, Edward Nygma, Bane, and Thomas Elliott the latter of whom is helping give first aid to the injured. The four men have agreed to remain in custody after this and are watching over the woman. Waylon and Bane will immediately be transferred to Blackgate as they are the only ones who do not need extensive medical treatment.

Now Gordon I need every paramedic in Gotham along with every police officer to make their way to Arkham. The inmates will be transferred to various prison wards in the hospitals and then temporarily to Blackgate once their injuries have been treated. I woke Bruce Wayne and after much complaining on his part, he has agreed to assert his legal right to Arkham through his grandmother, as he is one of the few blood relatives of Amadeus Arkham left. His grandmother was born Elizabeth Arkham. What is done with Arkham will be left up to him once the police investigation is finished. However, Wonder Woman I would like a favor.

Wonder woman: What is it, Batman?

Wonder woman’s thoughts: I have a good idea what Bruce wants, and I know mother will allow it.

Batman: After their treatment, if possible, I would like the woman to be taken in by Themyscira until they ready to rejoin the world of man. The Sanctuary will also be sending over some pods to aid in their treatment.

Batman’s thoughts: Thankfully, there is one spare pod, and Wayne enterprise can easily make more. I will personally eat the damn costs to produce four more.

Wonder woman: It will be done.

Batman: Thank you. Now well the speedsters are dealing with those who are not on duty, every heavy hitter who volunteers will assault Arkham, Arkham’s guard staff is armed to the teeth and I have a bad feeling that enough members of the guard have been corrupted that they will use everything they have to slow us down, well they send people to get rid of the evidence and the patients, so Superman, I would like you here to defend the inmates. It will take roughly 45 minutes for Gordan to get everything ready, and Jim I suggest you take something for your carpal tunnel now. I want the league in ahead of GCPD, no one else dies tonight. Bruce Wayne has agreed to host a press conference at 10 AM to announce what is going on. Once the League has gained control of Arkham, GCPD will take over.

Superman: Batman where am I going to be meeting you?

Batman: I am on the roof of Arkham. Does everyone understand the plan? Again, this is volunteers only as there will be some fallout on me and I do not want it to affect the League.

Everyone: We Understand.

Everyone's thoughts: Why would there be fallout on Batman?

Later…Bruce.

The plan was executed perfectly, and I was surprised and touched that the entire League came, not just heavy hitters, not just the speedsters. The entire Justice League volunteered to help and showed up. I do not understand why, I have been told repeatedly by multiple people that I am hard to work with, both as Bruce Wayne, and Batman.

First Clark, surprisingly along with Kara, Conner, and even my godson Jon showed up to the roof, all of them ready to defend the patients. Then it was not just the Justice League who showed up, The Justice League Dark, The Titans, Teen Titans, The Young Justice, Outsiders, and both the old and new guard of the JSA showed up. Dick, Tim, Damian, Cassandra, Helena B., Duke, and Barbara all crawled out of bed and showed up to help. Even Harper Row suited up as Bluebird for the first time in a year. However, When the time came, to my shock it was the Outlaws with Lobo on the hood of a stolen hummer leading the charge and crashing through the gate. Even the Outlaws were following my ‘rules’ without complaint. Even Lois Lane Kent and Iris West Allen were on the scene in their capacity as reporters, were there covering the events as they unfolded, with Jimmy Olson by their side taking pictures.

I managed to get home with enough time to get a shower and a change of clothing. It is now 9:55 and I am getting ready to address the media. I have my entire family by my side, even Jason had insisted on being with me and is posing as my new bodyguard, my heartaches as I allow myself a moment of selfishness to wish Selina was by my side as well, but she is safer away from me than with me. She is the only woman I will and can ever love, I would rather she be safe and happy with some other man or woman than with me. Also, on stage with me is John Stuart, Ted Kord, Oliver Queen, and commissioner James Gordon.

Dick Grayson…

I smile as I watch Bruce rub his chest. I do not think he is even aware he has this tick as he has been doing this for the last two years. I know for a fact that he is rubbing the scars Selina gave him back during year two of Batman’s operations. He is now out of his batsuit…however like always the man is dressed for a funeral in his black Armani suit jacket, a black button-up, black tie (the one Selina got him) black dress slacks, and his black dress shoes. He also as has on the watch Selina actually paid money for as a gift him. the watch is not something overly fancy or expensive piece it’s just a simple silver watch, she had also painted a white cat shadow on its black face. It’s the only watch Bruce has worn for the last two years and again I do not think my dad realized it.

I also can tell Dad does not understand why literally the entire hero community volunteered and showed up to help him with the situation at Arkham, and knowing him, he will never understand. It has never just been Superman who was the symbol of inspiration for the heroes of the world, Batman had shown up a few scant months before Superman made his debut in Metropolis. So it was the Bat who was the first of his generation to go out and put his life on the line, the first to say: I will work outside the law, well working with it to save my city.

He was the one who set the example of I will not kill; I will not become a murderer to serve the greater good. He also does not realize just how big of a deal it is that he has saved **every** member of the hero community in some way, that he saved the world more times than Superman. Nor does he realize just how awe-inspiring he really is, as every hero **knows** that Batman, will be the **first** to come to their aid and the last to **ever** ask for it.

Yes, every member of the Batfamily has called our Father arrogant, self-righteous, that he sets an imposable stander, that he is a hypocrite who can’t trust anyone and has a way to beat every hero on the planet. Yet he also has more scars than any other nonpowered hero on the planet, because as high as the standards he holds his friends, allies, and family to. Batman holds himself to standards that even both Superman and Wonder Woman have admitted they cannot meet. Everyone knows that J'onn J'onzz is the heart of the League, Superman is the spokesmen of the League, Wonder Woman and Black Canary are the tough as nails moms of the League, however, everyone but Batman seems to know that the league would have started killing long ago if they did not have Bruce as its moral compass. Every member of the hero community has admitted they would have killed The Joker by the Late Monsters' second year of activity.

One night when I was angry at Bruce, I decided to look into who has access to the as he calls them the ‘tools’ he has made to subdue and contain the other members of the hero community should they go rogue. With the exception of the kryptonite, the only member of the Batfamily, who does not have access to these tools, is Bruce himself. He does not trust himself with access to these, his DNA does not allow access to them, and using it to try to get to them the system will lock down the tools for twelve hours. That says a lot about Bruce and who he trusts. As well he does not have access to them even member of the family even Jason and Selina have has access to the tools…although I am fairly sure Selina does not know she has access to them … even though she has cracked the combination for the kryptonite safe and took a small chunk for herself. Hell, the only reason Bruce even trusts himself with kryptonite is the fact that Superman personally gave him some.

So really saying Batman was not just the moral compass of the League is inaccurate… No Batman is the selfless heroic **Leader** of the Justice League and the hero community. The bat had become a symbol of hope not just to Gotham but to the world.

‘Good thing the family is staging an intervention tomorrow to both make him know he can be batman, be happy, and deserves to be with Selina Kyle. She already has as many enemies as just as bad as Dad's own yet like him, she has mostly been able to keep herself and her family safe. I have been talking with Maggie Kyle once a week to check and see how Catmom is doing and Selina is still waiting for Bruce to call. Maggie has plans to try to get her sister to call Bruce too, however, that won’t be needed anymore as Superman volunteered “To fly Bruce’s emotionally constipated ass to Catwoman if he does not agree to call her tomorrow.’ Surprisingly those were Clark's exact words.

Bruce is not the only one here dressed in a monkey suit, Jason, Alfred, Babs, Cass, Damian, Tim, Leslie, Harper Duke, Helena B. and I are all here to support him all dressed in formal suits… It is very, very strange to see Allied in anything other than his trademark butler’s tuxedo however, he is in a normal suit for the occasion. In the front row of the press conference are Iris Allen, Clark, and Lois Kent ready to ask questions and I can several members of the hero community amongst the reporters including honorary Batfamily member and Bab’s best friend Dinah Lance-Queen in amongst the crowd of reporters. Even Diana Prince and Steve Trever are still here along with Jason’s red-headed Amazon girlfriend Artemis. Diana is wearing a formal suit and her purple glasses. I see Hal and Carol Jordan in the crowd too…I have never seen Ted Grant in a suit. I can just make out Lobo sitting on his space-hog about 1000 feet up. I look at my phone and see that it's now 9:59 time for Dad's speech.

I wrap my arm around Babs's waist, and I am glad Bruce encouraged both of us to give it one more try after his breakup with Selina. I have my mother’s ring, something Bruce surprisingly had spent years tracking down after it had been stolen from GCPD evidence, hidden in Alfred’s room, I asked Jim for his permission to ask for her hand last week, and he gave it. I plan to ask her next week, I have reservations at the Jade Dragon in china town for 7 PM next Saturday, Babs favorite high-end Chinese place. I have told Bruce, The Outsiders, and The League that neither me nor Babs exists from 7 PM to 12 Am that night and asked Gordan to wait to shine the signal until 9 pm if anything comes up. However, right now for the first time ever, the entire Batfamily is together as a family as we stand behind our father…however the only thing that could make this moment better is if Catmom was by Batdad’s side.

Press conference…

“I am sure you have all heard by now that, the entire hero community showed up at Arkham at 6 AM this morning. I scheduled this conference to explain why this happened. You see this morning at 4 AM, Batman called me told me that the staff at Arkham had turned against the patients, well I can’t discuss specifics of this as it is an ongoing investigation with GCPD. However, I have been given a statement to read by the Justice League and the GCPD, but first, the reason why Batman called me this morning. How that man got my number, I will never know, but he had a plan for if this happened. You see my grandmother was born Elizabeth Arkham and married into the Kane family, he asked me to assert my claim to Arkham.

Now when Batman asks you to do something at 4 Am you tend to do it, so as of 9 AM I am the current owner of one Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Now the reason for this is as I said the Staff of Arkham had turned against the patients. Yes, I am sure some of you are thinking “good the Rouges are finally getting a taste of their own medicine.” However, let me remind you that many of the ‘Rouges’ of Gotham are mentally ill individuals, people who should have been treated with kindness and respect in order to try to help them manage and overcome or safely manage the conditions that helped fuel their fall into crime.

As you know the guards at Arkham are armed to the teeth, having enough firepower to hopefully stop any breakouts or break-ins, so they would have more than enough firepower to delay Batman long enough to end the lives of the patients in Arkham, even with the aid of the GCPD and the entirety of our local vigilantes would not be enough to save the patients and would result in massive casualties to both groups. Even then the patients would still all have been killed. So Batman called the Justice League asking for volunteers to help protect these victims of mental illness. And what surprised me more was that when Batman showed up to check on my progress, he admitted to me that he was touched by just how many heroes answered the call. How many answered…well they all answered his call.

Now here is the statement that was given to me by the GCPD about what has happened at Arkham. For now, the staff of Arkham barring one Dr. Patricia Vale is being charged with conspiracy to commit: murder, rape, attempted murder, and failure to uphold the Hippocratic oath. One of the women who has been… violated is Detective Renee Montoya, who voluntarily chose to enter Arkham’s Alcoholic Treatment Program after realizing she had a problem, not even the rouges mess with these patients. Detective Montoya her permission to be mentioned in this press conference against the wishes of James Gordan who wanted only to protect her. The rape victims are not in hospital wards but are being transported to Wonder Woman’s home island out of concern for what happened to them. They will be treated using the same technology used by the Sanctuary, the superhero community counseling program. I have been asked to state here that the first Wonder Woman Hippolyta The Queen of the Amazons is also looking for a suitable psychiatrist to help these women come to terms with what happened to them.

Now as the new owner of Arkham I am fully cooperating with the police investigation, however, I have also decided that Arkham will **not** be reopened and will be destroyed once the investigation has been finished. I decided to use my own personal fortune to buy an island just outside of Gotham where a new state of the facility will be built with funding not just from myself but also with pledges from Ted Kord’s and Oliver Queen said they will be matching what I have already spent on the island to build a new ultramodern facility. Give it will be on a privately owned island groundbreaking will begin later today under the supervision of Ted Kord and Oliver Queen. This will provide jobs to many Gothamites and will be giving the city a much-needed economic boon in these trying times. Also, out of respect for Dr. Pamala Isley, the island is currently being carefully surveyed to ensure that any rare or endangered plants will be safely extracted and preserved. Now I am going to hand you over to John Stuart.” Bruce says as he steps away from the podium. John knew Bruce wanted him to take credit for Bruce’s work in designing the new facility and would not have any part of it.

“As some of you know I am an exceptionally talented architect having designed most of the buildings in Coast City, and both of the Halls of Justice. Now when Bruce Wayne called me this morning, he did not ask me to design the new facility from scratch, no he asked me to look over plans he had drawn up a few years ago for a new facility. Really despite being a bit airheaded the man is really one talented individual; it did not take me more than an hour to turn the sketches he drew up into the new facility. So I give you The Gotham Recovery Hospital for the Mentally Ill, it will be much harder to break out of or into than Arkham ever was, however for safety reasons the layout for the criminal wards are not being shared at this time and will not be shared until the foundations have been finished. However, I will say that 1-foot-thick steel plates will be inset into the foundation to help prevent any form of tunneling.” John says with a smile as he looks at Bruce.

However, Bruce is in the process of answering his phone… John can’t help but look at the man in shock as until now he has never seen a happy smile on Bruce’s faced that reached his eyes.

Selina…

We landed in Gotham half an hour ago and It took us half an hour to get out of the airport. Now I have no excuse to put off making the call, so well Maggie and Stephine get us a car at the rental place. I take out my phone and dial Bruce’s cellphone number hoping he has not changed it. There are three rings and he answers.

“Hello, Cat.” I hear Bruce’s voice deep baritone voice for the first time in two years and my heart races I can’t help but smile. He sounds happy to hear from me…for now.

“Hello Bat…look I just got back to Gotham we need to talk in person as soon as possible and it's about something that is very important. When can we meet?” I say in a somber yet happy tone.

“Tony’s Italian restaurant, half an hour…. Your, ok right.” Bruce asks the worry in his voice fills me with hope I can’t quite squish down.

“I am fine better than fine and still single; However, this is something that I need to tell you in person and in private.” Why did I say that I was still single as he does not need to know that and it is not important to the conversation we need to have. That man never fails to fluster me, and what’s worse is he does not realize just how easy he can fluster me.

Bruce…

“Good…good glade you…I am still, too…I’ll call ahead and have Tony clear the restaurant, he will be fine with it as I own the place now. So, it won’t be a problem to have it closed for lunch.” I tell Selina stumbling over my words for the first time in a long time. I am ashamed that I am happy that she is still single as she deserves to have someone better than me in her life.

“Sounds good baring traffic I’ll have my sister and Stephine drop me off. See you there, Bat.” Despite my worry about what is going on, I can’t help the smile on my face as I hang up. I call Tony’s, and the owner picks up in three rings.

“Tony’s Italian restaurant we are not quite taking orders yet.” I hear Tony answer.

“Hello, Tony it's Bruce I need a favor, can you close the restaurant for lunch I will of course be reimbursing you for the days lost profits,” I ask the man politely raising my voice two octaves to use my Bruce, voice something I stopped doing with Cat when I let confirmed to her that I am Batman five years ago.

“Mr. Wayne you baled my restaurant out last year and help keep it open, and you help me continue feeding the poor by funding the food drives, paying me for the food I cook for them every morning too, out of your own pocket so I stay in the black and you refuse to take your cut of the prophets. A day’s prophets are nothing compared to the goodwill you allow me to gain with God.” Tony tells me with his Italian accent ringing through.

“I am still going recoup your loss for the day, you have a child on the way. Could you have an order of chicken parmesan with a side of garlic toast Ready, along with a double order of beef ravioli in meat sauce and a strong pot of coffee with some 2% milk and two mugs? I will be there in about half an hour with a guest, we will be having a private conversation. If a beautiful black-haired woman with lovely green eyes gets there before I do, let her in she is who I am meeting she answers to Selina Kyle.” I tell the man realizing I am starving I cannot remember when I last ate which is not good given my metabolic needs.

“Oh, it would be my pleasure, Mr. Wayne,” Tony tells me and I can hear his smile. I wave to the family.

“That was Selina, she just got back in town, something is wrong we are meeting at Tony’s Italian restaurant to talk about it in half an hour, so I am going to leave the conference now,” I say despite what has happened in the last seven hours I cannot keep the smile off my face. Also, the caffeine pills are wearing off and I forgot to grab more.

“You have not slept in forty-eight hours B, I’ll drive him, Alfred,” Dick says with a smile and look that says he will not back down.

“Well then Tim can drive us both, he could use a bit more practice before his license exam…I will pay for any damage,” I say with a kind look at my second youngest.

“Barbara, I believe you have a date with Dick next week at the Jade Dragon right, take Artemis, Cass, and Harper to get a new dress for your date, and have some fun with one of my black cards. Take Damian, Duke, and Jason to carry your things…duke you can get whatever you want as well and Damian you can get something from the animal shelter as a reword…even another cow if you want. Alfred takes the rest of the day and takes Leslie shopping using another black card, have fun with Mom, Dad.” I tell my family with a smile I let it slip how I think of Leslie and Alfred, both tear up a bit as I pull out my wallet and hand out three of my five black cards.

The drive to Tony’s is interesting but uneventful, However, with traffic, it takes ten minutes longer to get there than I thought it would. Selina is likely already inside.

“Dick, here take Tim and get yourself a new suit, you’re asking Barbara to marry you on your upcoming date, and you have bulked up a bit again, you should look nice for that moment,” I tell Dick as I hand him my fourth black card with a rare mischievous smirk on my face.

“How the fuck did you figure that out did Alfred tell you?” Dick asks in shock.

“You’re asking Barbara to marry you!” Tim shouts in shock.

“No Dick, you just told me. I had my suspicions but was not sure. By the way, I called the Jade Dragon, you will have the restaurant to yourself so do not worry about making a fool of yourself.” I say with a smile and head in.

Bruce’s car…

“Ok he is smiling so much it's freaking me out…who is he meet…he is meeting Catwoman good,” Tim says with a smile figuring it out.

“Yes, yes he is, and yes I am popping the question to Barbara even if the world ends Saturday…how much coffee have you had today it seems like you have had too much already? Now let’s go get me a new suit and you a new camera.” Dick says as Tim pulls the car away.

“…You must be joking there is no such thing as too much coffee, also really it's been one shock after the other today it took me a minute to remember who Selina is,” Tim tells his older brother with a glare.

“…I worry about your heart Tim; your blood content is what 92% coffee?” Dick asks the younger man.

“It's only 75% coffee,” Tim replies with a smile as he peels out.

Selina …

I get to Tony’s Italian Restaurant first and give my name to the man behind the counter, he informs me Bruce is running a bit late likely due to traffic due to the press conference that was still going on. Good to see Gotham still has traffic issues. I realize the man behind the counter is Tony Stark the former owner himself.

“Mr. Wayne ordered ahead, food and coffee are waiting at the table. You look like you could use a cup. Mr. Wayne has improved his personal blend after Oliver Queen introduced Black Canary and I am proud to say Tony’s Italian Restaurant is the first of his restaurants to be supplied with the blend.” Tony says as he leads me to a table.

I sit down and smell it, chicken parmesan my favorite. Most would think I am an all seafood kinda cat, but they forget cats eat birds as well, and this kitty loves chicken more than tuna. I realize just how hungry I am and it will be easier to take Bruce’s anger on a full stomach so I dig in…god it’s been three long years since I had Tony’s chicken parmesan, and god I love that Bruce remembered the order of garlic toast, so I tear into the food with reclass abandon. I take a moment to pour a cup of coffee, Black canary is the cat’s meow, but Bruce is a stubborn bastard and I know the coffee lover in me will forever regret not tasting his new blend before he gets here. I pour a cup, Black as the Knight himself is of course the only way to drink coffee, and I take a sip…

“ME-OW, this is so much better than Black Canary,” I exclaim out loud with a happy grin.

“Good to know you like it Selina, took me a lot of time to make a blend that beats Black Canary without using the beans themselves.” That voice was honey on rock candy to me, Bruce Wayne has entered the building. The man himself sits in front of me and I cock an eyebrow up at him with a smile as my food is forgotten.

“You look like you need a cup yourself,” I say as I add Bruce’s preferred amount of 2% milk to a cup then pour in the coffee, It may be a desecration of coffee, but at least he does not take sugar with the ambrosia that is coffee. I hand him the cup with a smile.

“I see you still remember how I take my coffee.” Bruce gives me that smile, the one he only gives me.

“You, going to be mad at me,” I say as I pull out my phone and open it to the pictures I took of Helena, I so badly want to make small talk with him before I do this, but Helena needs us now. I show him the picture of our abused baby girl.

“This is Helena, our daughter, I was two months pregnant when I went in. I made sure in my guilty plea no one would know I was pregnant. I was going to talk about her when you picked me up at Blackgate however, I let my temper get in the way. Then I thought she would be safer without us; we both have enemies who would not hesitate to use her if word got out. I was wrong and I stupidly did not check on her for two years believing she was safe …she was hurt because I am a bad mother I never should have trusted the foster system. You need to know This is **my** fault Bruce, **not** yours.” I tell him as fresh tears start to fall from my eyes.

“I am toxic.” That is all Bruce saying as he looks at the picture, I have never seen that expression on his face before, it looks a lot like defeat?

“What?” I exclaim in shock; I am missing something here. Bruce Wayne is not only a good man, but he is also the only **Real Man** I have ever met. For a time, I thought that Stark was the only real man I ever met, later I then I realized Batman was the only **Real Man** I had ever met, then learned Batman was Bruce Wayne.

“ I am toxic to everyone I know, Dick, Tim, Cassandra, Damian, Jason, Duke, Harper, you, Gotham, everyone I try to help I just make worse. Had I just stopped Cheshire from the start instead of trying to show her there was a better path she could use her skills for, The Thomas and Martha Wayne Home for the Boys and Girls of Gotham would have never burned down, because I would not have been put in a coma, had I ignored Jim and the League like I wanted to I would have proven you innocent much sooner. You should know that Holly is a member of Task Force X and is earning her pardon…god damn it, I should not have hesitated to ask you to marry me for so long, as that would have changed the dynamics enough for you to say have said no to Holly and Helena would be safe with us instead of with monsters. Now because I did not pay attention to Arkham as close as I should have the Rogues are all in a variety of hospitals, because I did not notice the staff had been corrupted, because I did not catch it sooner, Pamala, Harley, Peyton, Page, Detective Montoya, and Kate have all been violated. Had I notice sooner Harvey would still be alive. I am a cancer on Gotham and in the world. I will get you our daughter back then Bruce…” Bruce must be really tired as he rarely rants like… Fuck he is not ranting, he is thinking out loud.

Wait what the fuck, his presence in Gotham has only done good, I can't let him finish this thought, if I let him finish this thought his mind will be made up. He never responds to the gentle touch, so my response is rough.

Bruce…

I know the girl is mine and Selina’s despite her youth she has enough definitive features that she can be no one else’s. My relationship with Selina has always been passionate and we were never as careful as we should have been. I am about to finish my plan not realizing I was thinking out loud. That was when Selina punches me in the face stopping my train of thought dead in the water well also knocking me out of my chair. She straddles me and slaps me hard in the face twice, first with her left hand than her right before grabbing my collar, pulling me face to face with her. I stare into her fierce, beautiful, and scared green eyes as they glare into my soul. My god she is crying I have made her cry.

“Listen to me Bruce Wayne, you are not a cancer, you are not toxic, you are not poison. This is what you are: You are the **kindest** most **selfless** **Man** I have and will ever know, you have made my **life** better, you have made **me** better. Your taking in your children has made them **better** people. You turned them from kids angry at the world into **heroes**. You have poured billions of dollars your **own** money into Gotham every year trying to improve it, you personally fund the Justice League, The Outsiders, The Teen Titans, The Young Justice, and The Titans. You do even more through the Wayne Foundation which you never use to fund any of these groups or your crusade. As Batman, you have almost **died** so many times for this godforsaken city, this planet, and even the universe **god himself has likely has lost count**. You have no right to ever think about yourself as toxic. I see now you cannot do that without **me** in your life, so here is the plan, it's simple and you will likely be able to make it better. **We are going to get our daughter back legally, we are going to go pick her up, then on the way home, we are stopping in Vegas and getting married.** Because I still fucking **love you so much it hurts** , you obviously have not gotten over me and you need me in your life to make sure you know you can and deserve to be **happy** god damn it.” Selina screams at me before she punches me in the face again, then pulls me up and kisses me poring everything, she feels for me into it.

I should reject her, spurn her to keep her safe, but I can’t…no not can’t, won’t. Instead, I kiss her back with every ounce of love I feel for her. I then begin working on our plan however, first I need more information.

“Give me the information you have on our baby girl, then I need to make some phone calls,” I say as I stand up picking her up with me. As I hold her with one arm, I pick up my chair and sit down setting her in my lap. It feels great to have her back in my arms and I do not want to let her go. She rests her head on my shoulder as I again realize just how hungry I am, I start eating as she gives me the information. I call the police officers of the town and have them send out a unit. However not content with just that I make a call to my best friend.

“Clark if you up to it I could Superman’s help for something personal,” I tell him as I shovel another ravioli in my mouth, I also reach over and grab Selina’s half-finished food so she can eat well it's still somewhat warm, she kisses my cheep with a smile as she begins eating.

“What is it, Bruce.” He asks me willing to listen.

“Selina was pregnant when she went into Blackgate, she had the records sealed and she felt our daughter would be safer away from us…she checked on her last night and…” I start to explain when Clark cuts me off.

“Where do you need us. Kara and I are having lunch together and she wants in.” I smile and give them the address. They will be there in seconds. I lift another ravioli to my moth only to have Selina wrap her lips around my fork snatching the ravioli for herself, she chews it with that mischievous grin of hers.

“Our baby girl is going to be fine Supergirl and Superman are personally going to make a wellness check ahead of the police... they are likely already there,” I say with an evil smile…Kara was still learning how to hold back, and I do not think she will bother trying too hard to hold back, nor will Clark stop her. I retaliate by grabbing the last bite of Selina’s garlic bread from her hand and shove it into my mouth. She glares playfully at me.

“Good, we will be making him her godfather,” Selina says from my lap as she grabs her cup of coffee and takes a sip of it.

Next, I call Gordon and ask him to get the records of Selina’s agreement unsealed, when I mention my abused child, he says it will be done ASAP. I call Barry who is still in town and have him get two samples of both Selina’s and mines DNA and have him run them to Wayne tech for rapid DNA testing, he says he will personally get a sample of Helena’s DNA for paternity can be proven by the end of the day. I then call the best lawyers in California and have them on the case and after I state I will be paying them 4 times their rate for a year’s retainer, upfront to get the ball rolling, we will have established paternity by the time we get to California, our daughter will be in is custody by the time we get to the police station of the small town she is living in. I call and have the new jet fueled up and then make the calls necessary to let the rest of the family know what is going on.

Bruce Wayne’s Latest Private Jet…

Every member of the Batfamily is abord the prototype Wayne tech 124 “Robin II” jet, along with Selina’s sister, her adopted niece, and even Jason’s girlfriend Artemis of Bana-Mighdall. Hal and Carol Jordan both insisted on flying them as Bruce was obviously in no condition to be operating a plane. Bruce and Selina said they did not have to come, however, the family was quite insistent.

And when Wonder Woman flat out said “Bruce your family should be with you, the League is going to watch this city until you get back now go get your daughter before I knock you out.” Bruce knew he lost the argument before he could try to make it and dropped it. Selina promptly invited Diana to come along and she accepted with a smile, However, Steve needed to get back to Washington. Hal had just informed them they could take off their seatbelts, so they started mingling.

“So, I have a sister?” Damián asks the question that has been on everyone’s mind since Bruce’s call an hour ago. Everyone looked to where Bruce and Selina are seated, however, the pair had fallen asleep Selina resting her head on Bruce’s shoulder. Their answer was Selina letting out an unbelievably loud snore and Bruce letting out a quieter one.

To be continued

Notes:

I was not planning to kill Harvey off in this when I started writing this, then I started reading the Convergence crossover event (which I need to finish as of posting this) and I remembered that Two-face was in love with Renee Montoya in at least the new earth timeline and I felt it would be nice to give him a heroic death saving the woman they love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was again this was very hard to write. I did not want to leave at such a poor juncture so I waited till I had two chapters to post.
> 
> I was not planning to kill Harvey off in this when I started writing this, then I started reading the Convergence crossover event (which I need to finish as of posting this) and I remembered that Two-face was in love with Renee Montoya in at least the new earth timeline and I felt it would be nice to give him a heroic death saving the woman they love.


	3. Conversations on a Plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flight down to California.

“Damián Wayne, right?” Maggie Kyle asks as she approached the twelve-year-old. Damian was a small boy standing at three feet six inches tall with green eyes, black hair, and his features strongly resembled his father well his complexion matched his mother Talia al Ghul.

“Yes, and you are?” Damián asks looking at the attractive woman.

“Magdalene Kyle, I am Selina’s younger sister. And yes, you have a little sister now. She is two years old and she will be an attention hog for a while. However, you need to also realize you’re also a big brother now, as my sister has told me many times, the older sibling watches out for their youngest. Your dad is marrying my sister and I am willing to bet you were secretly hoping your father would get back together with your mother, right?” Maggie tells the boy.

“Yes,” Domain admits, he was not pouting.

“There is nothing wrong with that Damián, however, let me ask you this does your father deserve to be happy? My sister is a bit selfish and an unrepentant thief, however, she also has a kind heart and loves animals, especially cats. I know he makes her happy and she loves him. Now look at your father as he sleeps, have you ever seen him so at peace?” Maggie asks him with a small smile. 

Before answering Damián took the time to study his sleeping father, as the boy had come into his father’s life after his breakup with the trollop, he has never seen them together. Damián has stumbled on Father asleep on the throne in the bat cave many times, and when Damián had nightmares after his resurrection, his father let him sleep in his bed like a child. Come to think of it Damián has never seen his father as unguarded in his sleep as he was with this catlike woman, he looked content and… happy. Well, Damián has never met the woman, he could tell the older Kyle sister seemed to have a matching happy content look. Oh, do not misunderstand him the pair both looked like they would snap awake should something happen, but their guard was so far down it shocked Damián.

“I will give the woman a chance as Father deserves to be happy and that is something Mother can’t make him. How are you so wise Miss Kyle?” Damien asked looking at Maggie in wonder.

“I used to be a nun and you have my permission to call me Maggie, so call me Maggie.” Maggie says with a smile that said ‘you better call me Maggie.’

“Then I will Mrs. Maggie,” Damián says with a blush and a genuine smile… which made him look a bit constipated.

“I am a widow who went back to her maiden name, and Mrs. Maggie makes me feel old, so just call me Maggie,” Maggie says with a glare passed down in the nunneries of the world for centuries. Damián did not stand a chance against it, for not even his father could glare like that.

“Then I will call you Maggie,” Damian says with a smile his blush darkening.

“Oh my god, I think the Demon Brat just revealed he is human and has his first crush,” Jason says and Damián realized his family was all staring at him. Jason is a tall broad man standing six feet, he has black hair and blue eyes. 

“I will kill you, Todd,” Damian says his blush still there as he whips his head around and glares at Jason.

“You do not threaten to kill family Damián. Apologize.” Maggie says giving him her glare.

“Yes, Maggie. I am sorry for threatening your life, Todd.” Damian says instantly and…the brat meant it.

“Damián is defiantly crushing on Selina’s sister. Not even Alfred can invoke that response from him.” Dick whispers to Barbara with a grin.

“So, you are Catwoman’s sister, I am Diana Prince, May I call you Maggie as well?” Diana asks with a smile as she approaches the woman. Diana is a tall woman standing six feet even, her curves divine and body covered in well-toned muscles. Her Black hair falls down to the middle of her back and she has compassionate blue eyes.

“Eeehhhh, Your Wonder Woman, yes of course you can call me Maggie if I can call you Diana? Can I have your autograph?” Maggie squeals letting her fangirl show with an excited squeal.

At the coffee pot…

“So, your Tim Drake Wayne, the Red Robin right, your much cuter in real life than you are in then in the rags. So, what do we have on tap…I need coffee I forgot mom drinks (ulge) decaf Black Canary.” Stephine Kyle says as she approached the boy.

“Decaf is a crime against nature and ah… thank you, um yes I am Tim Drake Wayne, but I do not know why you think I am Red Robin, and you are? Well, Black Canary is good, this is better… it Bruce’s latest personal blend, the only place you can get this is at Wayne Manor and Tony’s Italian restaurant. It blows Black Canary out of the water. So how do you take your coffee?” Tim says with a smile…this girl was cute, spunky, and hyper…he liked that. Tim is a somewhat short boy standing at five foot six inches tall, he has messy black hair and blue eyes, his build is that of a well-toned swimmer.

“Oops sorry, I am Stephanie Kyle, I am Maggie Kyles adopted daughter and Selina’s apprentice in the ways of the force, if you know what I mean. And I take my coffee Dark as the Knight himself as Selina says. And I will be the judge of how good this coffee is.” Stephine says with a flirty smile the coffee addict in her rising to the surface.

‘A Star Wars references…she gets better gets better…wait, apprentice’ Tim thinks with a dorky smile.

“Ah you must be Spoiler…and I just revealed I am in fact, Red Robin.” Tim says with a blush and a sweat drop as he pours the girl a cup of coffee and hands it to her. It was known that Catwoman had an apprentice in the ways of gray vigilantism, but the papers all called her Catgirl, given she works on the other end of the country he would have no normal means of knowing ‘Catgirl’ actually went by Spoiler.

Steph smiles with a thank you and a nod as she accepts the coffee and takes a sip her eyes closed in concentration. They then snap open as a delighted smile appears on her face.

“Me-ow, Spoiler Alert: this coffee is better than Black Canary,” Steph says with a smile before blushing at what she just said.

‘I have been spending way too much time with Selina. She has me doing cat puns now…that may not be a bad thing.” Steph thinks as she notices Tim’s blush gets darker with her comment. She smiles as she brushes a bit of her blond hair behind an ear.

“So, like how about I show you the best place to get Empanadilla’s in Villa Hermosa well the adults deal with Helena, there not as good as the Los Slice Empanadilla’s truck in Blüdhaven but there still there really good.” Steph asks trying to entice the boy with her favorite food.

“Did… you just ask me on a date?” Tim asks his voice squeaking a little bit as he began blushing unsure of what was going on.

“Yes…no…meowbe?” Steph stumbles over herself blushing brightly she had never been so forward with a boy before. Shit, she just made another cat pun.

“Then…I will go with… your first response? … I could go for some Empanadilla. It will be my treat thought.” Tim says with a smile as he takes a drink of his precious, well this was not the first time a cute girl has asked him out, it was the first time he said yes.

“You are Definitely not going without a chaperone young lady, you obviously have picked up too many bad habits from my sister, last time she went out alone with a Bat she wound up pregnant, you are not going to be a teenage mother.” Maggie Kyle says from where she is chatting with Wonder Woman. Damián sitting close to her with a blush still on his face, however, he also looked like he would nod off at any moment. Maggie had to hide her smile as this was the first time, she got to tease her daughter about a boy.

‘Like kill me meow. ‘Steph thinks as her blush goes atomic.

“Mom uncalled for, I, like just met him. I am not going to jump into bed with him that fast. I am still a ver…” Steph yells at her mother stopping herself before she finished that sentence.

“So am I.,” Tim says awkwardly with a matching blush.

“See he is not going to try to get in meow pants…I think.” Steph says blushing and a bit confused and maybe a bit disappointed. However, when she looks at the boy's face, she sees he is also blushing atomic…maybe he did want to get in her pants that made her happy. 

“Say Babs do Empanadilla’s sound good to you?” Dick asks his girlfriend loudly with a smile.

Barbara ‘Babs’ Gordon is a petitely built blue-eyed, redhead standing at five foot seven inches tall, a gymnast build. Her athletic form had just the right amount of curve to it, she is dressed in a business skirt suit.

“I could go for some Extra spicey Empanadilla’s,” Barbara says just as loud and with a smile knowing Dick was trying to help his little brother.

“Say, Maggie, Babs, and I will chaperone the two. I will make sure Tim won’t do anything I would.” Dick says with a smile, as Barbara lightly smacks his arm.

“He means I will make sure he does not do anything Dick would do as it’s an extensive list,” Barbara says with a smile.

“You, Miss Gordan I trust to be a proper chaperone, however, you, Mr. Grayson have obviously not yet reached adulthood thus I do not quite trust you,” Maggie says letting her smile finally show.

“So now that you have a proper chaperone, Steph you can attempt to flirt with the boy some more after you bring me a cup of that,” Maggie tells her daughter her smile turning into her evil mom smirk.

“Mom it’s, like not decaf,” Steph says taking another sip of the precious not wanting to bring her mother coffee after her teasing.

“Young lady, did I say bring me a cup of decaf?” Maggie says about to break out her glare, it has been a long day, and was going to be longer still. It did not help that Maggie had only really dosed on the flight back to Gotham.

“How do you take your coffee, Miss. Kyle?” Tim asks with a polite smile to Steph’s mom as he takes another sip of his precious.

“Same as Steph and Selina Dark as the Knight,” Maggie says with a smile and a nod. Good, the boy had manners, she was fine Damián could call her Maggie, however to time she was Mrs. Kyle.

“Does, Anyone else want a cup? There’s a full pot.” Tim asks and Everyone answered yes.

“Master Timothy I will take care of surviving the refreshments. You keep flirting with the Young Miss Kyle.” Alfred says with a smirk teasing his grandson as he makes to stand up.

“Bruce gave you the day off Alfred, I am perfectly capable of serving coffee…now how do you take your coffee Diana, Artemis?” Tim asks the two women; he did not see these two enough to remember how they drank the precious.

“As Maggie said Dark as the Knight,” Diana replies to Tim with a polite smile.

“I take mine with cream added to it…So long as it’s not that fake shit.” The redheaded Artemis says with a smile. Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is another six-foot woman with a matching build and figure to Diana, her long red hair worn in a ponytail at the top of her head. She is dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a halter top, a pair of combat boots, and a brown leather jacket with a few bullet holes in it that she stole from Jason.

Alfred cannot help the proud smile that appears on his face as Tim goes to ask Hal and Carol if they want something to drink. They both ask for coffee Carols black with four sugars, Hal asking for his with cream.

Thud snore…

Everyone jumps turns to look where the combination of sounds came from to see that Bruce and Selina had both somehow fell out of their seat and onto the floor…even though they were both wearing their seatbelts, the blanket Alfred had thrown over them now under Bruce’s massive bulk… shockingly the two were still asleep. As Bruce loudly snores a second time Selina frowns in her sleep and reached up, slightly adjusted Bruce’s head, smiles, and cuddles deeply into Bruce’s chest. Bruce does not release another snore. Tim was glad he had finished pouring the precious into its cups and set the pot back in its place as that thud had caused him to jump which would have caused him to spill the Precious. Tim finished preparing the coffee and began to serve it. 

“When was the last time Bruce got more than two hours of sleep?” Diana worriedly asks Alfred as she accepts her Wayne tech mug of coffee from Tim. 

“He has not had a proper night’s rest since the elder Miss Kyle turned herself into prison three years ago. He has also been up for well over two days now.” Alfred says sadly accepting his cup, coffee poured over 2% milk same as Bruce drinks, and passing Leslie her cup of black coffee.

“Same for Selina,” Maggie answers accepting the cup of coffee from Tim well answering the question before Diana could ask.

“Where are the pillows and blankets Alfred?” Diana asks as she takes a sip of coffee and then sets her the mug aside for a moment as she stands up.

“Miss Prince I can…” Alfred starts to say before Diana interrupts.

“Alfred, as Tim said you’re not working today, I will get them,” Diana says with a motherly glare that makes Alfred sit back down…

‘Hard to believe Master Bruce was right, Wonder Woman really is quite bossy.’ Alfred thinks to himself as he takes a sip of his coffee. Master bruces blend is as always tasty…for coffee.

“Thank you, Miss Prince. They are in that compartment.” Alfred says with his grandfatherly smile as he points at the proper storage compartment.

On her way to the compartment Diana takes the time to effortlessly pick up the sleeping pair, Bruce’s face scrunches as if he both smelled something foul and was sucking on a lemon at the same time, he did not like being held bridal style…Selina as if knowing this, suddenly had a teasing grin on her sleeping face which causes Bruce to pout. Diana carries the pair to a couch and sets them down before fetching them a pillow, she sees a blanket warmer in the compartment. She grabs two pillows setting one on the other couch and the remaining pillow under Bruce’s head. Diana then grabs a fresh warmed blanket for the pair. Both smile at the warm cloth as Diana tucks them in. 

Next, Diana picks up the Damián, who had fallen asleep at some point, and carries him to the second couch, laying his head on the other pillow she had grabbed. She then grabs another blanket from the warmer and covers him with, happy to see the son of the bat can at least still smile like a child in his sleep as she tucks him in. 

Next Diana reclines the seat of Harper Row and Cassandra Wayne both having fallen asleep. As Diana turned to get the two a blanket, she finds Artemis there with the pillows and blankets for the two nineteen-year-olds. The two-woman tucking a blanket around one of the girls than putting a pillow behind their heads. Both girls give a smile in their sleep.

Harper who’s intelligence put her on a fast track to a college degree had been out of life for a year well she finished college and having graduated last month. However, Harper had yet to get used to the hours of the hero lifestyle again, Cassandra on the other hand was trained to get sleep when she could. 

“Never thought I would see your maternal side Artemis,” Diana says to her fellow Amazon with a smile.

“(ughh) Blame the little life growing inside of me, it woke up my deeply buried maternal instincts.” Artemis carelessly says with a groan.

“WHAT!!!…crowbar… to the nuts…child mine…Todd out (Thud)” Jason who had stood up to stretch says as he faints in shock. He had thought not even the Lazarus pit could repair his testicles to operatable status after The Joker repeatedly smashed a crowbar into them before he died, as such he never bothered using a condom. 

“I take it he is the father of your child Artemis,” Diana states with a smile as if nothing happened.

“Yes,” Artemis says her massive blush matching her vibrant red hair, she only just learned a few days ago that she was carrying a child after peeing on a stick, and she only just accepted the idea before the call went out for volunteers. It was why Lobo was riding on the hood of the hummer as The Outlaws broke down the gates of Arkham and she stayed back with the police, instead of riding on the hood of the hummer charging Arkham with her massive ax Mistress in hand.

“There are smelling salts in the first aid kit upfront.” Alfred supplies as he stands up to let Leslie get up.

“I have some in my medical badge, now Miss Artemis have you seen a doctor yet?” Leslie asks as she fixed the Amazon with a stern maternal grandmotherly glare as she pulls down her medical bag. She had grabbed it before they left as she did not trust another doctor to look over her granddaughter in all but blood. 

“Not yet,” Artemis says looking like a deer caught in headlights, she hated going to a healer and typically had to be dragged to one when sick and yes amazons do get sick. Artemis was then assaulted from behind by a hug from Barbara.

“Congratulations my fellow redhead,” Barbara says to the taller woman.

“First off no more coffee, it’s bad for the baby,” Lessie says as she reaches into her bag and pulls out a vial of smelling salts. She broke open the salts and holds them under Jason’s nose.

“God, those stink… did I hear right I am going to be a …a…” Jason groans as he sits up unable to finish his sentence.

“Yes, you big lug you’re going to be a daddy,” Artemis says with an exasperated sigh at his antics. Jason gets up but remains on one knee as he pulls something he has had for a year from his suit jacket, a simple gold ring.

“Look I know you do not feel the need for it and what not but Artemis you make me happy and I love you with my very soul. I would love if you would be my wife all legal like so would you do me the honor of becoming Artemis Todd?” Jason asks with a huge blush and a grin on his face…he would be happy even if she said no as he was going to be a fath… he vowed to a better father than Willis Todd. 

Jason had to admit Bruce was a good father, despite letting his adopted kids run around the city he did make sure they were well prepared and very well armored before they could take to the streets. He also knew all the Robin suits except for Dicks pantie suit had far more and better armoring then than every version of Bruce’s bat suits…he just realized he had forgivenBruce for not putting an end to The Joker, however, he did wonder who finally offed the Monster as he wanted to buy that person a beer or send them a nice gift basket or perhaps both.

“Fine I will become Artemis Todd, but you’re bringing yourself back to life as I will not be married to a legally dead man,” Artemis says feeling like the life growing in her has made her even softer than she thought, as she gives Jason her left hand with a smile. 

“Deal,” Jason says with a smile as he slides the ring on her finger. Barbara pulls out her laptop and powers it up. Dick wished he had his mother’s ring as he no longer wanted to wait till Saturday with all that was happening as the oldest brother had a right to show up his little brothers. 

“I am afraid I must use the restroom…ahh sorry Master Dick we must have hit a spot of turbulence” Alfred announces as he walks by Dick and stumbles grabbing onto the younger man. Dick feels something pressed into his hand as Alfred rights himself and continues to the restroom. Looking down he finds the small velvet box and cannot help but smile, Alfred truly knows all.

“Well, Jason you officially alive again,” Barbara says with a superior smirk as she shuts her computer off.

“What…no hoops to jump threw no papers to sign?” Jason asks incredulously at the fact that it took all of two minutes to bring him back to life…in the legal sense of the word.

“Oh, you signed the papers two years ago well high on morphine after getting hurt bad enough to return to the cave, you just did not know you signed them, neither did Bruce, Alfred did but he knows everything. Those papers were even filed. However, there seemed to have been some error in the digital systems that prevented them from going through. It seems the error just resolved itself.” Barbara gloats with a smile on her face that is more fit for some mad scientist than a hero hacker like Oracle.

“Say Babs I was going to wait and do this a bit more romantically at our date next Saturday but…well I also feel the need to one-up my little brother. It’s a bit old-fashioned but I asked your father for permission already” Dick says as he slips something on Barbara’s finger. She looks down and sees the small emerald stone engagement ring…wait Dick’s was asking her to… She grabs him and pulls him into a fearsome kiss.

“That means yes right?” Dick asks with a dopy grin and a confused look in his eyes.

“Yes, this is your mother's ring, right? You know what Fuck it we are headed to Vegas after we serve the monsters who should be taking care of Helena a heaping helping of Gotham’s patented Bat Justice, so let’s use one of Bruce’s other private jets to fly my father and stepmom down and get hitched at the same time. We have been on and off almost as long as BatCat, and with everything that’s going on, I do not want to wait any longer.” Barbara decides with a smile. 

“Yes, it was Mother’s,” Dick says with a smile before getting up and walking to the cockpit.

“Hal do you have your ring on you?” Dick asks only to notice the instrument panels were covered in a violet shield.

“Make the call Bird Boy I have had you guys covered since Barbara pulled out her laptop,” Carol says with a smile.

Carol Ferris is another beautiful fit woman standing at five foot seven inches tall, her long black hair falling free down her shoulders her blue eyes glinting with amusement. Hal Jordan is a handsome fit man of medium build standing six feet tall, with brown hair and eyes.

“Thanks, Carol you’re the best,” Dick says with his charming boyish smile, as he calls James Gordon.

Commissioner Gordon would leave Harvey Bullock in charge of Gotham for a few days well he and his wife enjoyed an impromptu vacation in Vegas. Artemis with Leslie helps figure out she is for sure two months pregnant and is going to start a regimen of prenatal vitamins using a prescription given to her by Leslie, which will be filled when they land. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Unless you count the strange flirting of Steph and Tim, full of Star Wars, anime, and video game references. 

Five hours later.

“So…who is going to wake them up?” Dick asks with a scared look on his face. The Robin II had vertical takeoff and landing capabilities so they did not bother with a normal landing procedure as Hal wanted to play with the capability, and so sleepers could get as much as possible. Now they just had to decide who wakes them up. That is when a green glow shoots by them and shakes the sleepers awake.

“Morning cat,” Bruce says with a smile he wakes despite being shaken awake as it felt good to wake up with his cat in his arms again.

“Morning bat,” Selina says with a matching smile it felt good to wake up in her bat’s arms once again…

“Why are we on a couch?” Selina asks as the realization hits her that they are not uncomfortably sleeping in their chairs.

“Good question. The last thing I remember is falling asleep in my seat just after your head hit my shoulder.” Bruce says genuinely puzzled.

“You two escaped your seat belts and fell on the floor. So, I carried you to the couch and Bruce looked extremely uncomfortable when I picked him up.” Diana supplies with a smile at the pair.

“Makes sense…did you get a picture?” Selina asks with a grin as she looked at the woman as she Climbed off Bruce so she could stretch. Bruce doing the same checking his pockets he finds the box; he knew it was Alfred’s doing and even though they were getting married in a few hours he still dropped to one knee.

“Remember the first time the Bat met the Cat; you were attempting to steal a diamond neckless worth about a million bucks?” Bruce asks with a small smile on his face, the one he only gave to Selina whose eyes went wide.

“Yes, why?” Selina asks not quite understanding why he brought it up.

“Well, I bought it later as I had a feeling, I would need it, I realized the cut on the largest diamond was not right for the diamond and had it recut when I had it mounted three years ago, so will you marry me?” Bruce says with a grin as he opened the box and Selina smiled as she saw the massive rock on the ring. Now square cut on a lovely platinum setting, she took it out and a single tear fell from her eye as she put the ring on her left ring finger. She then throws her arms around the first Real Man she ever knew and hugged him with a large smile on her face.

“Yes,” Selina whispers into the man’s ear with a smile.

“God damn that’s a huge rock Selina” Stephine exclaimed as she grabs Selina’s hand and stairs at the gem, ending the moment.

“It used to be bigger,” Selina says when she noticed the additional jewelry on Barbara and Artemis’s fingers.

“Looks like Bruce was not the only Wayne to pop the question. Did Dick finally knock Barbara up?” Selina says with a mischievous smile.

“Actually… om…Jason knocked me up,” Artemis says bashfully looking out a window as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“What…guess Diana won the pool. I was sure Dick would be my first kid to have a kid. You two had what four pregnancy scares in the last three years” Bruce says with a smile.

“Can I see the ring…hello Selina…wait there was a betting pool on which of the members of the Batkids would have a kid first? ” Cassandra asks getting the order of things wrong.

“Yep, my money was on Dick and Barbara having the first kid. I see he is still asleep; I will wake him up.” Bruce says with a smile.

“We only…wait… ya we had four.” Dick begins to say before realizing as always his father was right.

“Wait…you two have only been back together for two years,” Tim says confused as he took another sip of coffee.

“It’s called a booty call Tim, we had a few over the years after one big crisis or bad case before Bruce convinced us to give our relationship another shot,” Dick says with a smirk as Tim’s face goes bright red and Babs stomps on dicks foot.

“Shiny,” Cass says as she stares at the ring. 

“Danm that is one fine cut on that stone.” Harper pipes up from beside Cass as she stares at the ring from over the other young woman's shoulder.

Damien...

Bruce smiles at the sight of his twelve-year-old son, sprawled out on the couch, the blanket half off him one leg off the couch one leg on the back of it, his hair rumpled from the pillow. His son only ever looked like a child when he was sleeping or caring for his animals which was why he allowed a cow and the boys bat dragon on the manner grounds. Like Bruce well bruce was forced to grow up at that age, Damián was trying to be a grownup, however, Bruce made damn sure despite the life they lead, all his children enjoyed their childhoods. 

Bruce has always made time for his kids whether it be simply playing a game of one on one with Dick, taking Jason to a baseball game, building a Gunpla with Tim, and then with both Tim and Damián, Bruce also helped Damián care for his animals every day. Bruce may duck out of a Gala or charity ball early but he always made time to attend every school event his kids had ignoring even the bat single until the event was over. He tried to drive himself to school every day as well until Dick and Jason got their license. Bruce is and would always be proud of his kids regardless of their life choice. 

“Hay buddy time to get up we are here,” Bruce says softly as he watches Damián’s green eyes open.

“Good morning father, (ahmmm),” Damián says as he stretches himself after waking up.

“Father I… reluctantly approve of your relationship with Miss Kyle, she makes you happy and I like it when you are happy,” Damián says as he looks away scratching his cheek with a bright blush on his face. Bruce smiles brighter and pulls his son into a hug.

“I am glad you approve son,” Bruce tells his boy as he squeezes him.  
“There is no need to get overly emotional father,” An embarrassed Damián says as he hugs his father back as always he leans in the physical affection having been almost starved for it until he was introduced to his father. Seeing Selina smiling at them Damián makes a choice. When his father lets go he walks up to the woman.

“I will not call you mother as that will always be what I refer to the woman who gave birth to me as…however if it does not make you feel old I will I do my best to call you Mom… after the wedding,” Damián says with a blush as he again looks at the floor. 

Bruce and Selina envelop the boy in a double hug, Selina, from the front and Bruce from behind wrapping his arms around both his son and the woman he loves. Damian feels a warmth he has never felt as his heart flutters in his chest, he never felt like this before he liked it and let out a radiant smile as he shut his eyes.

“You can call me Mom only if your comfortable with-it Kitten,” Selina says as she openly sheds a few happy tears, touched at the boy’s words. 

Barbara smiles as she puts her phone away, she would send all three of them the picture she took later.

“I apologize for breaking up this tender family moment, however, Master Wayne, Miss Kyle, a representative from the law firm of Chan, Nagatomo, and Temüjin are waiting to take the two of you and Dr. Lessie to pick up Little Miss Helena. I need to inform you Master Bruce, Miss Harper, Miss Cassandra, and Master Damián, that well you were sleeping Master Tim and Miss Stephine arranged to go on a date, Miss Barbara and Master Richard will be chaperoning the pair, the younger miss Kyle, Miss Diana, and myself will be packing up the Kyles penthouse, Miss Artemins and Master Jason are going to be heading to the nearest pharmacy to get some scrips filled. Now I took the liberty of putting a fresh suit in the lavatory for both you Master Wayne and you Miss Kyle so that you may be presentable. Your suit master Wayne is on the left side of the plane well miss Kyles is on the right. It would be impolite to keep the solicitor waiting.” Alfred says with a sad smile as he did not want to break up the happy family moment as Bruce has had so few of them.

“Well, Damián what do you want to do, do you want to come with Leslie, Selina and I to meet and pick up your…” Bruce begins to ask his son when Damian interrupts.

“Father, I would very much like to meet my new little sister as soon as possible, so I shall be coming with you and mom,” Damian says with an eager smile. Selina felt that warmth in her stomach again as her eyes light up when she heard Bruce’s son call her Mom.

“Beautiful…” Bruce whispers to Selina.

“What is?” Selina asks as she wipes her eyes.

“Your smile. I guess being called Mom suits you.” Bruce simply replies

Selina kisses him…

“Ewww.” Damian teases says with a smile on his face.

Bruce and Selina both laugh at Damián. Bruce was happy to see his son acting like the child he was instead of trying to act like a grown-up.

“In light of master Damián’s decision, I must insist he change out of those rumpled clothes, there is the fresh suit waiting for him in the second lavatory on the right side. Oh, I almost forgot, Miss Kyle there is make-up remover and a selection of cosmetics in the lavatory for you.” Alfred says with a smile as he is happy that Damian is going with his father and Selian. There was a time Damián would have chosen to remain on the plane.

“I finally see who Bruce learned to plan things from,” Selina says with a smile.

“Yes, he did Miss Kyle. Now as I have said we have solicitors waiting, best not keep them waiting.” Alfred says with a small smile as he finished the cup of coffee he had been drinking.

With that Bruce, Selina and Damián made their way into the restrooms to change.

To be continued


End file.
